Innocent Drinks

Infobox Company
company_name = innocent Drinks
company_
company_type = Private
genre =
foundation = 1999
founder = Richard Reed, Adam Balon and Jon Wright
location = London, England, UK
origins =
key_people =
area_served =
industry =
products = Smoothies
services =
revenue = £75 million
operating_income =
net_income =
num_employees = 220
parent =
divisions =
subsid =
owner =
company_slogan = "little tasty drinks" and "Nothing, but nothing, but fruit"
homepage = [http://www.innocentdrinks.co.uk innocentdrinks.co.uk]
dissolved =
footnotes =

innocent Drinks is a UK based company founded in 1999 whose primary business is producing smoothies and flavoured spring water, sold in supermarkets, coffee shops and various other outlets nationally as well as in the Republic of Ireland, Amsterdam, France, Brussels and Copenhagen. Innocent has a 71% share of the £169m UK smoothie market and the company sells two million smoothies per week. Innocent's vision, in the words of co-founder Richard Reed is 'to be Europe's favourite little juice company'.

History

Innocent was founded by three Cambridge graduates - Richard Reed, Adam Balon and Jon Wright. The three were friends at St John's College. 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. On 2nd December 2007 Innocent Drinks appeared at number 40 in the Sunday Times Fast Track 100, a list of the fastest growing private companies in the UK. It was the only company to have appeared in this list for the last 4 years consecutively. Each of the last 4 years, innocent has more than doubled its revenues.

Richard Reed


Adam Balon


Jon Wright

Future Plans

In terms of expansion of product range, innocent plans to introduce 'veggie smoothies', smoothies with vegetables as an ingredient, in 2008.

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" [cite web|url=http://www.innocentfoundation.org/|title=The innocent foundation|accessdate=2007-05-21] and a section on the company website details its programmes on recycling, procuring ethically, reducing carbon emissions, charity work and other company initiatives.

Products

For a short period of time near Christmas in 2006 and 2007 Innocent smoothies and thickies were sold with little woolly hats, in a range of colours, on top. These hats were knitted by members of the public for the Innocent Drinks "Supergran" project (raising money for AgeConcern).

moothies

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. A new carton size of 180ml (smoothies for kids) has also been added to the range.

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). Many smoothies contain fruits not mentioned in the recipe name on the front of the bottle; 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 [cite web|url=http://www.innocentdrinks.co.uk/our_drinks/faq|title=Our Drinks - FAQs|accessdate=2007-05-21] .

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'. 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' [cite web|url=http://innocentdrinks.typepad.com/innocent_drinks/2007/01/rise_and_shine.html|title=rise and shine|accessdate=2007-05-21] . The breakfast smoothie is only available in 1-litre cartons.

uperfoods 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. [ [http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/foodcomp/Data/Flav/flav.html USDA antioxidant database] ]

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 until 2007, This Water is 'a simple blend of pure fruit juices, crushed fruit and pure spring water' [ [http://www.thiswater.co.uk/ This Water] ] and is currently available in four flavours: blackcurrant, cranberry and raspberry, lemon and lime, and mango and passion fruit'.

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. [cite web| url=http://www.utalkmarketing.com/Article.aspx?id=1977 |title=Innocent in water development| work=utalkmarketing.com |accessdate=2007-05-14]

moothies 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. [ [http://www.innocentkids.co.uk innocentkids.co.uk] ] 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 [ [http://www.innocentdrinks.co.uk/our_drinks/kids/ innocent drinks : our drinks - smoothies, thickies, really lovely juices ] ] :
*Strawberries, blackberries & raspberries;
*Oranges, mangoes & pineapples;
*Apples & blackcurrants; and
*Peaches & passionfruits.

moothies for Kids Competition

Innocent are running a [http://www.innocentkids.co.uk/win/ competition] for any one under 16 to design their own innocent kids packaging over a supplied [http://www.innocentkids.co.uk/win/innocent_kids_template.pdf template] . The prizes are a years supply of smoothies, a visit to their school from a Dancing Grass Van or having their design printed on the innocent kids packaging. The entries must be in by the 31 January, and the judging will take place on the 18 February 2008 by a guest judge. and

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.

In January 2008, innocent added a third thickie to its range, containing low fat yoghurt, oats, figs and pears. Called the 'break time thickie' it is designed as a snack for any time of day.

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

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 100% recycled plastic. [ [http://www.innocentdrinks.co.uk/us/?Page=100_percent_recycled The world's first 100% recycled plastic bottle] ]

The 1 litre tetra pak cartons are fully recyclable, although only 10% of the UK is covered by a collection scheme. [ [http://www.innocentdrinks.co.uk/us/?page=recycling#cartons Our 1 litre Tetra-Pak cartons] ] Each carton features a hidden humorous message embossed on the underside, as do the smaller individual bottles.

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'. [cite web|url=http://www.innocentdrinks.co.uk/our_drinks/faq|title=Our Drinks - FAQs|accessdate=2007-05-21] 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

Innocent hosted the Fruitstock festival in Regent's Park, London, every August for four years which raised thousands of pounds for their charity, WellChild. [ [http://www.fruitstock.co.uk Fruitstock] ] Fruitstock attractions included live bands, yoga sessions, massages, bouquet-making, and a carousel and farmyard for children. Over 100,000 people attended Fruitstock in 2006.

August 2007 saw the Innocent Village Fete instead of Fruitstock. This was 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. [ [http://www.bbc.co.uk/consumer/tv_and_radio/watchdog/reports/consumer_goods/consumer_20070123.shtml BBC - Consumer - TV and radio - Innocent Smoothies] ]

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. [ [http://www.marketingweek.co.uk/item/56203 Marketing Week (requires subscription)] ] Eighty of the fast-food chain's branches will be selling the drinks.

Innocent have stated 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". [ [http://innocentdrinks.typepad.com/innocent_drinks/2007/05/to_burger_or_no_2.html To burger or not to burger] ]

According to a recent survey, 72% of drinkers supported the move, while 17% had no opinion and 9% were opposed. [ [http://www.foodanddrinkeurope.com/news/ng.asp?n=76260-innocent-mcdonalds-smoothie Debate rages on innocent McDonalds trial] ] A record number of comments were posted on the innocent blog in response to the decision. [ [http://innocentdrinks.typepad.com/innocent_drinks/2007/05/to_burger_or_no_2.html To burger or not to burger] ]

References

External links

* [http://www.innocentdrinks.co.uk innocent drinks Home Page]
* [http://www.innocentfoundation.org The innocent foundation]
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PeORynrUakk Richard Reed speaks about setting up innocent]
* [http://www.execdigital.co.uk/Innocent-pleads-guilty_3545.aspx Interview with innocent]