The following content originally appeared in issue 134 of Beverage Innovation, which you can subscribe to here.
One of the biggest trends of the last year has been the move to green drinks – the easy way to consume a healthy five a day by combining vegetables such as kale, broccoli and swiss chard with sweeter fruits for a more palatable flavour. However many of us have been switched off in our home trials with a Nutribullet, or basic juicer as the resulting mixture can be disappointingly bland or even downright disgusting. Luckily the big names have been putting their brains and experience into action with effective results:
Innocent Group senior brand manager Anne Dowsley explains the launch of Gorgeous Greens:
We all know we need to eat more greens and the idea of a drink that does it all is great – but the fear factor of it tasting like old veg can be a big deterrent – how did you get around the flavour challenge?
We’ve been making smoothies for over 15 years, and it has always been important to us that we make drinks that taste good and do good. Our research indicates that most people do not enjoy the flavour or the texture of a pure green smoothie as they tend to be quite savoury. Our Gorgeous Green Smoothie has a fresh, fruity and sweet flavour profile followed by a slight savoury end note to ensure it can be enjoyed by most.
innocent is well known for creating really tasty products, therefore the brand alone helps consumers to overcome any fear relating to flavour. When it comes to green smoothies, data tells us that the vast majority of people are yet to try them, and research told us that those uninitiated fear that a green smoothie will not taste good. We’ve led with fruit on the packaging to alleviate that fear, so consumers feel confident that it will taste good.
Why this particular blend of vegetables? And from where are they sourced?
We found that spinach and kale are generally the most accepted vegetable ingredients in green smoothies. By comparison, other vegetables can be quite polarising, eg courgette, sweet potato, peas. We’re really excited about the inclusion of Baobab in this product: it is relatively unknown so people are interested and intrigued to try it
Innocent obviously do their research – why do you think the consumer is ready for a green drink in favour of the classic smoothies such Strawberries & Bananas or Pineapples & Coconut? –
We look at a wide variety of sources for inspiration on new recipes and emerging consumer trends. For example, in the US, green fruit and veg smoothies have become a dominant flavour profile over the last few years. This is not yet the case in the UK but we see strong potential for green to grow. Green smoothie recipes are increasingly popular in recipe books, online food blogs and juice bars throughout London. So we wanted to make an accessible (easily available and easy to drink) green smoothie that would appeal to our drinkers.
Our top 6 bestselling smoothies include:
How long did it take to develop gorgeous greens?
From idea to launch, about 18 months.
What is the shelf life of the product?
Just under two months.
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