One of Spain's bestselling orange juice brands is being launched in the UK this summer positioned as a fresher and more eco-friendly alternative to the common American blends.

The £900m (€1.1bn) Spanish brand, Pascual, is being handled in the UK through Eat Natural's distibutor Multiple Marketing and will be backed with a £1m-plus spend in its first year.

As Spain's third-biggest media spender in the food and drink industry, the investment will increase significantly each year, said national sales manager Ian Houghton.

"It's not about launching just another orange juice," he said. "We want to offer consumers something that's produced closer to home and tastes fresher than current alternatives."

The juice is only made from Spanish oranges, predominantly Valencia, with each fruit squeezed one by one and within 24 hours of picking to produce a "unique clarity of colour".

"Sourcing premium oranges from local growers close to Pascual's facilities in Valencia minimises the carbon footprint of the brand compared with others. It's also produced on our doorstep in Europe," Houghton added.

Available in 750ml or 200ml bottles, the branding has been specifically redesigned for the UK market. However, the new packaging will now be used for all Pascual's international launches as it embarks on a European roll-out.

Further UK launches are in the pipeline for later this year, including different fruit blends. Multiple Marketing also plans to follow up the orange juice with other products from the Spanish brand's portfolio, such as drinking yoghurts. milkshakes and water.

The juice range, which is positioned at the premium end of the not-from-concentrate market, comes as smooth or with bits. It is rolling out now to Booker with discussions with the major multiples under way.