Innocent Drinks
Encyclopedia
Innocent Drinks is a UK
-based company founded in 1999 whose primary business is producing smoothie
s and flavoured spring water, sold in supermarkets, coffee shops and various other outlets nationally as well as in Ireland
, Netherlands
, Belgium
, Germany
, France
, Austria
, Denmark
and Switzerland
. Innocent has a 75% share of the £169m UK smoothie market and the company sells two million smoothies per week. Innocent is 58% owned by The Coca-Cola Company
.
. 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, with only three cups in the 'NO' bin, so they went to their work the next day and resigned. After quitting their jobs, the three had a lucky break when Maurice Pinto, a wealthy American businessman, decided to invest £250,000.
On April 6, 2009, Innocent drinks announced its agreement to sell a small stake of between 10 and 20% to The Coca-Cola Company
for £30 million. Their website was bombarded with customers and several pages on social networking sites have emerged that encourage a boycott of the company. In April 2010 Coca-Cola increased its stake in the company to 58% from 18% for about £65 million.
Innocent credit the creation of their brand identity to David Streek (aka Gravy), the design director at Deepend
, which also developed their early label designs and website. Before settling on the name "innocent", the product was going to be called Fast Tractor. The company's HQ, Fruit Towers, is now based in Kensington. On 2 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 five years consecutively. In each of the last four years, Innocent has more than doubled its revenues.
as a 250ml smoothie contains at least one portion of whole crushed fruit (80g) and one portion of juice (150ml).
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".
Innocent also makes superfruits smoothies, thickies that are yoghurt
- based drinks, smoothies for kids, orange juice
, veg pots, and fruit tubes for kids.
for making unsubstantiated claims about the health benefits of their "superfood
s" smoothies stating that their claims could not be backed up by medical science and ordering Innocent to not repeat them.
In 2007 the European Union passed a new law, that would take effect from 2009, which required companies labelling their products as "superfoods" to justify statements that their products are "superfoods", "healthy" or "good for you". Currently Innocent still uses the word "superfruit" in their marketing.
reported that the company had held back money that was intended for the Innocent Foundation. The reporter said: "Analysis of its financial records has revealed £520,000 intended for the foundation was kept in the company’s bank account, where it could collect a higher rate of interest. Innocent – which since last year is now majority owned by Coca-Cola – has not donated to the foundation for the past three years as it has made no profits".
; Bronte Blomhoj, who co-founded London restaurant and deli Scandinavian Kitchen
; Gareth Helm and Giles Brook, who launched the snack firm Bear; and former head of PR Ailana Kamelmacher, who left to set up her own communications company Story PR.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
-based company founded in 1999 whose primary business is producing smoothie
Smoothie
A smoothie is a blended and sometimes sweetened beverage made from fresh fruit and in special cases can contain chocolate or peanut butter. In addition to fruit, many smoothies include crushed ice, frozen fruit, honey or contain syrup and ice ingredients...
s and flavoured spring water, sold in supermarkets, coffee shops and various other outlets nationally as well as in Ireland
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
, Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
, Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
, Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
and Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
. Innocent has a 75% share of the £169m UK smoothie market and the company sells two million smoothies per week. Innocent is 58% owned by The Coca-Cola Company
The Coca-Cola Company
The Coca-Cola Company is an American multinational beverage corporation and manufacturer, retailer and marketer of non-alcoholic beverage concentrates and syrups. The company is best known for its flagship product Coca-Cola, invented in 1886 by pharmacist John Stith Pemberton in Columbus, Georgia...
.
History
Innocent was founded by three Cambridge graduates – Richard Reed, Adam Balon and Jon Wright; at the time they were working in consulting and advertising. The three were friends at St John's College, CambridgeSt John's College, Cambridge
St John's College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. The college's alumni include nine Nobel Prize winners, six Prime Ministers, three archbishops, at least two princes, and three Saints....
. 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, with only three cups in the 'NO' bin, so they went to their work the next day and resigned. After quitting their jobs, the three had a lucky break when Maurice Pinto, a wealthy American businessman, decided to invest £250,000.
On April 6, 2009, Innocent drinks announced its agreement to sell a small stake of between 10 and 20% to The Coca-Cola Company
The Coca-Cola Company
The Coca-Cola Company is an American multinational beverage corporation and manufacturer, retailer and marketer of non-alcoholic beverage concentrates and syrups. The company is best known for its flagship product Coca-Cola, invented in 1886 by pharmacist John Stith Pemberton in Columbus, Georgia...
for £30 million. Their website was bombarded with customers and several pages on social networking sites have emerged that encourage a boycott of the company. In April 2010 Coca-Cola increased its stake in the company to 58% from 18% for about £65 million.
Innocent credit the creation of their brand identity to David Streek (aka Gravy), the design director at Deepend
Deepend
Deepend was a multiple award-winning UK web design company originating in the UK in 1994. Its managing director was Gary Lockton and its Creative Director was Simon Waterfall. It went into liquidation in 2001...
, which also developed their early label designs and website. Before settling on the name "innocent", the product was going to be called Fast Tractor. The company's HQ, Fruit Towers, is now based in Kensington. On 2 December 2007 Innocent Drinks appeared at number 40 in the Sunday Times Fast Track 100
Sunday Times Fast Track 100
A list published annually in December in partnership with The Sunday Times newspaper in the UK.The list ranks Britain's fastest growing privately held companies by sales growth over the last 3 years....
, 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 five years consecutively. In each of the last four years, Innocent has more than doubled its revenues.
Products
Smoothies are Innocent's primary product. The Innocent smoothie consists primarily of processed fresh fruit, but other ingredients such as carrots and ginger can be found in some drinks. A smoothie also counts towards two of the 5 a day5 A Day
5 A Day is the name of a number of programs in countries such as the USA, the United Kingdom and Germany, to encourage the consumption of at least five portions of fruit and vegetables each day, following requests by the World Health Organization to consume at least 400g of vegetables daily.In...
as a 250ml smoothie contains at least one portion of whole crushed fruit (80g) and one portion of juice (150ml).
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".
Innocent also makes superfruits smoothies, thickies that are yoghurt
Yoghurt
Yoghurt, yogurt or yogourt is a dairy product produced by bacterial fermentation of milk. The bacteria used to make yoghurt are known as "yoghurt cultures"...
- based drinks, smoothies for kids, orange juice
Orange juice
Orange juice is a popular beverage made from oranges. It is made by extraction from the fresh fruit, by desiccation and subsequent reconstitution of dried juice, or by concentration of the juice and the subsequent addition of water to the concentrate...
, veg pots, and fruit tubes for kids.
Innocent Foundation
The Innocent Foundation is a UK-registered charity that 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'. 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.Product recall
In October 2005 there were several reports of Innocent smoothies "exploding". In 2007, Innocent recalled 100,000 bottles, stating that the explosions were caused by a natural fermentation of the ingredients.Advertising claims
In October 2007 Innocent was warned by the Advertising Standards AuthorityAdvertising Standards Authority (United Kingdom)
The Advertising Standards Authority is the self-regulatory organisation of the advertising industry in the United Kingdom. The ASA is a non-statutory organisation and so cannot interpret or enforce legislation. However, its code of advertising practice broadly reflects legislation in many instances...
for making unsubstantiated claims about the health benefits of their "superfood
Superfood
Superfood is a term used by various people in a wide variety of manners and contexts. For example, it is sometimes used to describe food with high phytonutrient content that may confer health benefits as a result...
s" smoothies stating that their claims could not be backed up by medical science and ordering Innocent to not repeat them.
In 2007 the European Union passed a new law, that would take effect from 2009, which required companies labelling their products as "superfoods" to justify statements that their products are "superfoods", "healthy" or "good for you". Currently Innocent still uses the word "superfruit" in their marketing.
Charitable donations
On 27 May 2011 the Daily MailDaily Mail
The Daily Mail is a British daily middle-market tabloid newspaper owned by the Daily Mail and General Trust. First published in 1896 by Lord Northcliffe, it is the United Kingdom's second biggest-selling daily newspaper after The Sun. Its sister paper The Mail on Sunday was launched in 1982...
reported that the company had held back money that was intended for the Innocent Foundation. The reporter said: "Analysis of its financial records has revealed £520,000 intended for the foundation was kept in the company’s bank account, where it could collect a higher rate of interest. Innocent – which since last year is now majority owned by Coca-Cola – has not donated to the foundation for the past three years as it has made no profits".
Alumni
A number of ex-Innocent employees have since gone on to form their own business including Mike Stevens and Dan Shrimpton, who founded the chewing gum firm PeppersmithPeppersmith
Peppersmith is a UK based confectionery company specialising in natural chewing gum and mint products.The company itself is independent, based in London and was founded in 2009 by Mike Stevens and Dan Shrimpton, both former employees of Innocent drinks....
; Bronte Blomhoj, who co-founded London restaurant and deli Scandinavian Kitchen
Scandinavian Kitchen
Scandinavian Kitchen is London’s first Scandinavian delicatessen and grocery store. It is located at 61 Great Titchfield Street. Their menu is based on the smorgasbord and the Danish smorrebrod and draws on the Scandinavian tradition of uncomplicated food served on rye bread...
; Gareth Helm and Giles Brook, who launched the snack firm Bear; and former head of PR Ailana Kamelmacher, who left to set up her own communications company Story PR.