innocent Drinks
| innocent Drinks | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Type | Private |
| Founded | 1999 |
| Founder | Richard Reed, Adam Balon and Jon Wright |
| Headquarters | 3 The Goldhawk Estate, Brackenbury Road London W6 0BA, United Kingdom [1] |
| Products | Smoothies |
| Revenue | £75 million |
| Employees | 220 |
| Slogan | little tasty drinks |
| Website | innocentdrinks.co.uk |
innocent Drinks is a UK based company founded in 1999 whose primary business is producing premium smoothies and flavoured spring water, sold in supermarkets, coffee shops and various other outlets nationally as well as in Ireland, Amsterdam, Paris, Brussels and Copenhagen. Innocent has a 71% share of the £169m UK smoothie market and the company sells two million smoothies per week. [2].
History
Innocent was founded by three Cambridge graduates - Richard Reed, Adam Balon and Jon Wright. In 1998, after spending six months working on smoothie recipes and £500 on fruit, the trio sold their drinks from a stall at a music festival in London. People were asked to put their empty bottles in a 'yes' or 'no' bin depending on whether they thought the three should quit their jobs to make smoothies. At the end of the festival the 'YES' bin was full, so they went in the next day and resigned. After quitting their jobs, the three had a lucky break when Maurice Pinto, a wealthy American businessman, lent them £250,000. The company's HQ, Fruit Towers, is based in Shepherds Bush.
 Richard Reed
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 Adam Balon
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 Jon Wright
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The innocent Ethos
Innocent's primary selling point is their exclusive use of pure, fresh ingredients in all of their drinks. The innocent promise states "...that anything innocent (produces) will always taste good and do you good. We promise we'll never use concentrates, preservatives, stabilisers, or any weird stuff in our drinks".
Innocent claims to be "committed to running its business in a sustainable way" [1] and a section on the company website details its programmes on recycling, procuring ethically, reducing carbon emissions, charity work and other company initiatives.
Innocent also nurture a friendly, slightly hippy image, characterised by their casual, humorous labelling and quirky logo made by Mupe.
Products
Smoothies
Smoothies are innocent's primary product. The innocent smoothie consists primarily of fresh fruit, but other ingredients such as carrots and ginger can be found in some drinks. They are available in 250ml bottles and 1 litre cartons.
Innocent smoothies are made by mixing whole crushed fruits (such as raspberries, blackberries, and mangoes) with freshly squeezed juices (such as orange and apple juice) to achieve the correct consistency and flavour. Bananas, for example, are often used to thicken recipes. Many smoothies contain fruits not mentioned in the recipe name on the front of the bottle; the smoothies are named according to the strongest flavours, for example the 'mangoes & passion fruits' smoothie also contains apple juice, orange juice and mashed banana.
The smoothies are then pasteurised to avoid growth of microorganisms due to the high proportions of fruit pulp they contain [2], however this has no significant effect on vitamin content.
In addition to the permanent recipes, innocent produces "Seasonal Smoothies" and "Guest Smoothies" throughout the year. The "Seasonal Smoothie" usually reflects some aspect of the current season and the "Guest Smoothie" features new recipes; one recipe contained lemongrass and another featured beetroot.
In January 2007, innocent introduced the first of its monthly smoothies, the 'January Detox', as well as a 'breakfast smoothie' (N.B. the breakfast smoothie is fruit-based and differs from the breakfast thickie, which is yoghurt-based). The breakfast smoothie contains oranges, mandarins and raspberries, and is described by innocent as 'the perfect accompaniment to a bowl of cereal and slice of toast in the morning'[3]. The breakfast smoothie is only available in 1-litre cartons.
Superfoods Smoothies
Superfoods Smoothies are so called because they are considered to be exceptionally high in a particular nutrient. There are four superfoods smoothies: natural vitamin C (Blackcurrants, Acerola Cherries & Rosehips); natural detox (Pomegranates, Blueberries & Acai - high in antioxidants), natural vitamins A & C (Oranges, Carrots & Mangoes) and natural slow release energy (mangoes, guavas and goji berries). Superfoods Smoothies are available in 250ml bottles and 1 litre cartons.
The claims over various fruits and their contribution to total antioxidants consumed by the general population have been reviewed using the US Department of Agriculture antioxidant database [6].
The results indicate that although smoothies are a good source of fibre and natural sugars, the major source of antioxidants could be derived from apples which depends on the particular variety used (normally 2 at an average fresh weight of 150 grams per litre).
This Water
Originally known as Juicy Water, This Water is 'a simple blend of pure fruit juices, crushed fruit and pure spring water' [7] and is currently available in four flavours: blackcurrant, cranberry and raspberry, lemon and lime, and mango and passionfruit. They are designed to be more thirst-quenching than the fruit smoothies, but are also free from preservatives, colourings and stabilisers.
Juicy Water changed its name to 'This Water' in May 2007. The drinks were originally a small sideline to innocent's smoothie production, but have, as innocent put it, 'grown up in their own right'.
Unlike Juicy Water, which was made under the innocent name, This Water is an entirely new brand. While innocent focuses on fruit, the new brand focuses on water.
This Water supports WaterAid's work in Ethiopia, providing 77,000 people with access to water. [4]
Smoothies for Kids
Smoothies for Kids are more thoroughly blended to give a smoother texture than the standard smoothies, and are sweeter than the regular smoothies. The fruit combinations also differ. The labels feature snippets of educational information and suggestions for activities. They are "lunchbox friendly", and can be frozen to make iced-lollies. Each carton provides one portion of fruit. [5] is an interactive website maintained by innocent which provides entertainment and information for children. innocent smoothies for kids are now also available in schools up and down the country.
The Kids smoothies are available in 'wedges' and also 1 litre cartons. There are four recipes: strawberries, blackberries & raspberries; oranges, mangoes & pineapples; apples & blackcurrants; and peaches & passionfruits.
Thickies
Innocent Thickies are probiotic yoghurt based drinks. Yoghurt, Vanilla Bean and Honey was the only available recipe until January 2007, when innocent released a new 'breakfast thickie', featuring probiotic yoghurt, oats, blueberries and raspberries. Thickies are made in a very similar way to the fruit smoothies.
Books
Innocent has produced three books to date. Two of these, the "Little Book of Drinks" and the "innocent Smoothie Recipe Book" contain recipes for smoothies, juice drinks and cocktails. The other book, "Stay Healthy. Be Lazy." provides healthy living information in innocent's trademark casual text.
Packaging
In line with their environmentally-friendly image, innocent formulated a new 'eco-bottle', which was launched in January 2007. This is made from cornstarch, a 100% renewable source. The eco-bottle is biodegradable, and is currently being used only for the breakfast thickie.
The other plastic drinks bottles use 50% recycled plastic.[6]
The 1 litre tetra pak cartons are fully recyclable, although only 10% of the UK is covered by a collection scheme.[7] Each carton features a hidden humorous message embossed on the underside, as do the smaller individual bottles.
Fruit Towers
Visiting the London HQ is encouraged on the packaging of most innocent products, and visitors enjoy a tour and a bag of free smoothies. It is astro-turfed throughout and was recently expanded to accommodate its growing number of employees. The vehicles employed by innocent include an astro-turfed dancing van from which they sell drinks, and cow vans, complete with udders, eyelashes, horns and tails. The cow van also features a 'moo button'. Consumers can contact the people at innocent by ringing the banana phone.
innocent foundation
The innocent Foundation is a UK registered charity which gives grants to NGOs and other charities, typically in the form of three-year partnerships. It was set up in July 2004 'with the idea of bringing nature and communities closer together for mutual benefit'.[8] This allows innocent to donate 10% of its profits to charity. The majority of funding goes to overseas projects - to the countries where innocent source their fruit.
Fruitstock
Every year, in August, innocent host a festival in Regent's Park, London, as a way of saying thank you to everyone who has bought their drinks. This has been running for four years, and raises thousands of pounds for their charity, WellChild.[8]
Fruitstock attractions include live bands, yoga sessions, massages, bouquet-making, and a carousel and farmyard for children.
In 2006, over 100,000 people attended Fruitstock.
August 2007 saw the innocent village fete instead of Fruitstock - one weekend of entertainment in Regent's Park, which a total of 60,000 people attended. All proceeds from ticket sales were donated to Friends of the Earth, Well Child and the Samaritans.
Controversy
There have been several reports of innocent Smoothies "exploding". In response innocent have recalled 100,000 bottles stating that the explosions were caused by a natural fermentation of the ingredients.[9]
In May 2007, innocent made the controversial decision to trial their kids' smoothies in McDonald's outlets in the north-east of England, triggering widespread debate. [10] Eighty of the fast-food chain's branches will be selling the drinks, much to the disappointment and anger of some innocent consumers.
Although innocent have defended their decision by stating that the move is an attempt to provide healthier alternatives to the sugary drinks currently sold in McDonald's restaurants, and that innocent smoothies will continue to be "100% healthy and natural", [9] many innocent fans perceive the move to taint the company's squeaky-clean image, and that all gains are purely financial.
According to a recent survey, 72% of drinkers supported the move, while 17% had no opinion and 9% were opposed [10]. A record number of comments were posted on the innocent blog in response to the decision. [11]
References
- ^ The innocent foundation. Retrieved on 2007-05-21.
- ^ Our Drinks - FAQs. Retrieved on 2007-05-21.
- ^ rise and shine. Retrieved on 2007-05-21.
- ^ Innocent in water development. utalkmarketing.com.
- ^ innocentkids.co.uk
- ^ [1]
- ^ [2]
- ^ [3]
- ^ [4]
- ^ [5]
External links
This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)
