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Innocent Drinks
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- The correct title of this article is innocent Drinks. The initial letter is shown capitalized due to technical restrictions.
| innocent Drinks | |
 |
|
| Type | Private |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1998 |
| 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 | 105 [2] |
| Slogan | little tasty drinks |
| Website | innocentdrinks.co.uk |
innocent Drinks is a UK based company founded in 1998 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 62% share of the £85m UK smoothie market[2] and the company sells one million smoothies per week. [2].
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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. 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. innocent have between 50 and 60 per cent of the UK smoothie market, with over one million products being sold every week.
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" [3] and a section on the company website details its programmes on recycling, procuring ethically, reducing carbon emissions, charity work and other company initiatives. [4].
Innocent also nurture a friendly, slightly hippy image, characterised by their casual, humourous labelling and quirky logo.
Smoothies are innocent's flagship 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 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. [5]
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" is a way for innocent to try out new recipes which often contain ingredients not typically associated with shop bought drinks; 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' (not to be confused with the breakfast thickie). This contains oranges, mandarins and raspberries, and is described as 'the perfect accompaniment to a bowl of cereal and slice of toast in the morning'[6]. The breakfast smoothie is only available in 1 litre cartons, and these are appropriately decorated with the innocent logo rising above a hill to resemble the sun at dawn.
Innocent smoothies have a low GI rating which help one to feel fuller for longer.
Super Smoothies are so called because they are exceptionally high in a particular nutrient. There are three superfoods smoothies; natural vitamin C (Blackcurrants, Acerola Cherries & Rosehips); natural detox (Pomegranates, Blueberries & Acai - high in antioxidants) and natural vitamins A & C (Oranges, Carrots & Mangoes). Superfoods Smoothies are available in 250ml bottles, however the 'Detox' and 'Vitamin C' smoothies are also available in 1 litre cartons, and are instantly recognisable due to their gold labels.
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 [10].
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 gms per litre).
Juicy Water is a fruit juice drink made from spring water, fresh fruit juice and natural sugar. Available flavours are 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.
Smoothies for Kids are more thoroughly blended to give a smoother texture than the standard 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. [7] is an interactive website maintained by innocent which provides entertainment and information for children.
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.
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.
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.[8]
The 1 litre tetra pak cartons are fully recyclable, although only 10% of the UK is covered by a collection scheme.[9] Each carton features a hidden humorous message embossed on the underside.
Visiting the London HQ is encouraged on the packaging of most innocent products, and Fruit Towers itself jokingly has a help desk for burglars. 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 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'.[10] 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.
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.[11]
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.
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.[11]