How can you capture global growth in soups? 

Soups remain a comfort food with timeless appeal, yet the category is evolving fast as consumers seek nutritious, ready-to-eat meals that fit modern lifestyles. Producers face the challenge of meeting expectations for taste, quality and packaging responsibility while protecting margins in a competitive market. The opportunity lies in adapting production and packaging to today’s habits – finding smarter ways to deliver fresh appeal in an established category. Producers that combine culinary creativity with flexible technology can respond faster to new flavour trends, optimise efficiency and bring distinctive products to shelf with speed and confidence.

Soup market serves up tasty opportunities

Facts 17,7 bn by 2033

Health and convenience behind market expansion

The shelf-stable soup segment is projected to grow from an estimated USD 12.8bn in 2025 to USD 17.7bn by 2035, at a CAGR of 3.3%. This substantial multi-billion-dollar surge is being driven by consumer demands for products that are healthier and convenient to store.

 

Source: Shelf-stable Soup Market Size and Share Forecast Outlook 2025 to 2035

Facts 29% of consumers seek taste innovation

Soup consumers crave comfort – and adventure

One in three global consumers is turning to soup for comfort while 29% are seeking exciting new tastes. Among the most sought-after profiles are salty, spicy-hot/chilli and spicy-pungent. This adventurous demand offers producers a compelling recipe for expansion.

 

Source: Soup Trends: Global Market Overview

Solutions that drive your soup business success

Whatever the needs of your soup business – processing solutions, aseptic packaging solutions or retortable packaging solutions – we have globally proven options. Our integrated capabilities support soup brands, private-label retailers and co-packers through every stage – from recipe development and ingredient preparation to processing, filling and packaging. Whether you make smooth, creamy or chunky soups, and regardless of your business goals, we help you boost efficiency, protect quality and prepare your operations for future demand.

Woman shopping, Tetra Recart cartons on shelf

A game-changer for shelf-stable soups

Move beyond cans withTetra Recart, the paper-based, retortable solution for soups and other shelf-stable products that’s cost competitive and loved by consumers. Ideal for smooth, creamy or chunky soups, this game-changing solution helps brands stand out in store and online while enhancing operational efficiency.

Soup in Tetra Brik Aseptic carton package

Aseptic solutions for ambient distribution

Combine aseptic processing and filling in Tetra Pak aseptic carton packages for the full range of soup products. These integrated aseptic solutions enable product safety, long shelf life and efficient distribution for high-volume production, helping you optimise quality and cut complexity from plant to shelf.

Female operator at production site, processing equipment

Refine soup quality and efficiency from the start

Boost the consistency, flavour and yield of your soup production with Tetra Pak advanced processing lines and equipment . Continuous or batch systems handle everything from broths to purees and hearty soups, supported by precise mixing, heating and blending technologies designed for versatility and throughput.

How do retortable paper-based cartons add value for soups?

Soup producers face a range of challenges, from price pressures to meeting rising expectations on quality, value and responsible packaging. Switching from legacy packages toretortable paper-based cartons opens new opportunities for differentiation, efficiency and consumer appeal – without adding complexity or cost.

1. Product and brand

1. Product and brand

Modernise your soup range:
Strengthen your soup portfolio with modern, paper-based packaging that supports innovation and your sustainability strategy while delivering a lighter, contemporary look loved by consumers.

2. On-pack communication

2. On-pack communication

Tell a clearer soup story to shoppers:
Use flat panels and six printable faces to clearly highlight origin, quality and recipe information, building a strong shelf presence and helping shoppers recognise your soup brand instantly.

3. Range efficiency

3. Range efficiency

Optimise pack sizes for retail success:
Cartons offer a range of soup-ready carton sizes from 340 ml to500 ml, simplifying production planning and efficient shelf presentation while meeting consumers’ expectations for portion-right soups.

4. Production and logistics

4. Production and logistics

Simplify storage and transport:
Flat-packed empty cartons streamline handling and require less warehouse space, while you also get more filled packs per pallet than cans in many configurations –helping lower transport cost per unit.1

5. Sustainability and perception

5. Sustainability and perception

Support your soup sustainability story:
Paper-based cartons use a high share of renewable materials and can have a lower climate impact than traditional soup packages, as shown in comparative LCAs for defined markets.2

6. Consumer appeal

6. Consumer appeal

Deliver everyday convenience:
Cartons are lightweight, safe and easy to open, pour and flatten after use – improving daily convenience and aligning with growing consumer preference for responsibly packaged food. 

Elevate your soups portfolio with Tetra Recart

Achieve success in the dynamic soup market with Tetra Recart for your shelf-stable products. Our complete offering helps you transform consumer trends into commercially ready soups that meet expectations for convenience, taste and packaging responsibility. Distinctive carton design delivers standout visibility on the supermarket shelf and across digital retail platforms.

People in workshop in customer innovation centre

Our insights drive your soup innovation

Unlock new soup opportunities with collaborative sessions at our Customer Innovation Centre, where market data meets creative concept design. Together we identify promising ideas grounded in consumer realities, helping you make insight-led decisions faster and with lower development risk. 

Soup in bowl and Tetra Recart carton package

Develop your next soup success with our experts

Define soup formulations and run pilot-scale trials under real processing conditions alongside food technologists at our Food Development Centre – shortening lead times from concept to commercial readiness. If you can’t make it to us, you can borrow a mobile test unit to use in your facility.

Tetra Recart carton packages, generic designs

Create brand impact in across your channels

Use the six printable surfaces of Tetra Recart to highlight flavour, quality and nutrition cues clearly. Continuous designs across packs create a strong billboard effect in store, while distinctive carton graphics help your range of shelf-stable soups stand out in digital channels.

Optimise all aspects of your soup production with Tetra Recart

Optimise your soup operations with Tetra Recart, combining automated, space-efficient lines with integrated processing expertise. From blending and filling to retorting and packing, our solutions deliver consistent quality, reliable performance and an attractive total cost of ownershipcompared with traditional canning lines. Leveraging our know-how in soups and liquid food processing, you can handle smooth or chunky recipes with precision, maintain particle integrity and streamline production changeovers for today’s diverse market demands.

Tetra Recart line

The right soup line for your growth goals

For high-volume soups, the Tetra Pak® R1 line delivers fully automated, high-speed performance. When flexibility is key, the Tetra Pak® R2 line handles all Tetra Recart sizes efficiently, supporting agile production and smooth changeovers to match market demand. 

Kitchen at Food development center, tomato products

Leverage soup-specific processing expertise

Our specialists at the Food Development Centre understand the thermal, viscosity and texture requirements specific to soup recipes and ingredients. We help you configure processing, heat-treatment and filling parameters to protect the quality and safety of your soups, from pilot trials to full-scale production. 

Cartons and cans, efficient distribution

Enhance logistics flow across your supply chain

Tetra Recart packs arrive flat, simplifying inbound flow and freeing up valuable warehouse space. Their rectangular shape maximises pallet utilisation and transport capacity once filled, reducing handling time and cutting overall distribution cost per unit compared with traditional cans.1

How we accelerate your soup success

Explore how Tetra Recart helps you move faster from soup ideas to successful launches. Our step‑by‑step overview shows how we support you across the full journey – from insight and concepting to recipe trials, package design, industrialisation and scale‑up.

Build continous improvement into your soup production

With Tetra Recart, soup producers can continuously refine performance, efficiency and quality across every stage of production. Supported by data-driven services, upgrades and technical expertise, you can adapt lines for new recipes, formats and volumes – keeping operations optimised and ready to seize future opportunities.

Soup in bowls, Tetra Pak Services offerings

Stay agile as your soup production evolves over time

When soup recipes or consumer preferences shift, we help you respond efficiently. Tetra Recart lines and specialist services support process adjustments and incremental upgrades, while performance programmes focus on minimising waste and utilities. Through Tetra Pak® Advanced Agreements and tailored maintenance strategies, you can secure uptime, manage cost and build resilience for the long term.

Coconut soup in Tetra Recart carton, fresh lime and ginger

Reduce carbon emissions and boost sustainability credentials

Comparative life-cycle assessments show that, for defined sizes and markets, Tetra Recart cartons can have lower CO₂ emissions than alternative packaging formats.2 Using FSC™-certified paperboard3 from responsibly managed forests and other controlled sources, together with efficient transport and storage, helps address consumer expectations for packaging with verified environmental performance.

Which is the fastest path to soup growth for your business?

Whether you are producing soups as a co-packer, brand owner or private-label retailer, Tetra Recart offers flexible ways to bring a wide range of shelf-stable products to market. You can invest in dedicated lines, collaborate with manufacturing partners or combine both approaches to balance speed, risk and capital while building long-term competitiveness.

Soups in transparent cartons

Co-packers: attract future-ready business

Expand your service portfolio by adding Tetra Recart. This game-changing, paper-based carton format helps you win new contracts from brands and retailers seeking alternatives to cans and jars. Flexible lines support multiple recipes and quicker changeovers, enabling you to serve diverse customer needs efficiently.

Holding Tetra Recart carton packages

Brand owners: de-risk the move beyond cans

Enter Tetra Recart step-by-step – from pilot runs with established co-packers to full-scale in-house production when volumes justify investment. Our support across recipe development, line design and start-up helps you manage risk, accelerate launches and differentiate your tomato portfolio with responsive packaging innovation.

Shopping soups n Tetra Recart cartons

Private-label retailers: drive visibility and value

Launch tomato products that combine strong value with a contemporary look and feel.Grow shopper loyalty and brand perceptionwith packaging that signals quality, aligns with sustainability goals and stands out clearly online and in-store. With our expertise in design and production, you can deliver premium appeal while protecting profitability.

Processing lines for soups

Best-practice continuous line

This line handles production of smooth to small particulate soups. It allows you to produce a wide range of soups – natural products without preservatives or additives, with minimized fat content and maximized taste. The recipe-specific shear rate in mixing and optimized heat-treatment achieves ​the desired product characteristics with high production efficiency. Our line enables safe production with exceptional quality and efficiency.​
Explore Best-practice lines for soups

Best-practice continuous particulate line

This line handles particles up to Ø25 mm with excellent particle integrity. It allows you to produce a greater variety of products – from smooth soups to high viscous ready-to-eat soups with homemade fresh taste and colour. Gentle processing prevents the breakdown of particle shape and maintains even distribution. The recipe-specific shear rate in mixing, gentle blending of particles and optimized temperature program achieves the desired product characteristics. Our line enables safe production with exceptional versatility, quality and efficiency.​​
Explore Best-practice lines for soups

Best-practice continuous smooth line

This line handles the production of smooth soups. It meets demands for a greater variety of safe, wholesome soups with delicious homemade taste. The direct heating technology achieves instant heating and cooling, which minimizes heat load and preserves fresh taste. Our line enables safe production with exceptional quality and efficiency.​
Explore Best-practice lines for soups

Best-practice batch particulate line

This line handles particles up to Ø25 mm with excellent particle integrity. It allows you to produce a greater variety of high quality soups with fresh homemade taste and colour – from clear broths to creamy mushroom soups, and smooth to chunky meat and vegetable soups. Gentle processing prevents the breakdown of particle shape and maintains even distribution. The recipe-specific mixing and processing with optimized heat treatment achieves the desired product characteristics with maximized production flexibility and versatility.
Explore Best-practice lines for soups

Best-practice dehydrated line

This line allows you to produce a greater variety of nutritious dehydrated soups with high quality and more advanced recipes. It handles a versatile product portfolio with flexible production solutions that ensure uncompromising food safety and production safety. And it ensures accurate dosing, as well as fast, gentle dry mixing of powders, to secure consistent high quality. Our line enables production with exceptional versatility and quality.​
Explore Best-practice lines for soups

Processing equipment for soups

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1. 12% more 390ml packages, and up to 50% more 100ml packages on each pallet and truck. Based on internal simulations comparing Tetra Recart to cans and jars of equivalent sizes.

2. Comparative Life Cycle Assessment of  Tetra Pak® carton packages and alternative packaging systems for beverages and liquid food on the European market, 2020

3. The FSC licence code of Tetra Pak is FSC™ C014047 - Tetra Pak FSC™ Certificate