When and where did Naked Juice launch, and what was the thinking behind the brand?
Mikel Durham: The Naked Juice story began in 1983 when a young man wowed thirsty beachgoers by serving his juices towel-to-towel on the beaches of Santa Monica, California. Waking up early to seek out only the freshest fruits and vegetables in the produce markets of Los Angeles, the young man home-squeezed and blended his creations before heading to the beach with his juices and a backpack full of ice. His efforts brought forth rave reviews!
Naked Juice caught on commercially with a small account in a grocery store right off of the beach, then more stores in town, then all over Los Angeles. The second market for Naked Juice was San Diego, solidifying its Southern California roots. More than two decades later, Naked Juice is a national brand that still employs the ideals it was founded on and is still based in Los Angeles.
The Naked Juice brand and name is more than just catchy – it’s who we are. The word ‘naked’ hinges on being all-natural, what-you-see-is-what-you-get. We promise to ourselves and our consumers that we’ll only use the best bare-naked fruits for our juices and juice smoothies and never add any sugar or preservatives. Muddling up our pristine fruit with those additives really isn’t Naked!
What have been the highs and lows along the way?
Durham: Naked Juice has been a leading innovator throughout our history and we’ve had many exciting firsts and highs:
All of these achievements are part of our ongoing commitment to sustainability and quality in everything we do. In terms of lows, we’re an optimistic brand, so we take what we’ve learned and keep moving forward!
Naked has always been aware of changing consumer thinking, as with the recent Rainforest Alliance agreement. How will this work and what benefits does this bring?
Durham: We became the first US-based juice company to team up with the Rainforest Alliance for sustainable fruit procurement in April 2009. Consumers can now find the Rainforest Alliance Certified seal included on all Naked Juice products containing bananas, which are found in 80% of our products.
These bananas are sustainably grown on Rainforest Alliance Certified farms that meet the following criteria:
By teaming up with Rainforest Alliance, we’re supporting their efforts to ensure sustainable livelihoods for people, while protecting wildlife and the environment. Combined with our transition to 100% post-consumer recycled PET bottles, and our move later this year to a new facility designed to meet the criteria for LEED certification, Naked Juice is working to offering a more eco-conscious juice to consumers.
Where does Naked stand in the US smoothie sector? Who are your rivals and how do you differentiate?
Durham: Naked Juice continues to be the leading innovator and the fastest growing company in the super premium juice category. We offer a wide range of unique products, including Naked Juice Probiotic and our hugely popular Superfood line of 100% juice smoothies. These ‘Machine’ flavours (Acai Machine, Blue Machine, Gold Machine, Green Machine, Power C-Machine and Red Machine) include healthy boosts such as vitamins, minerals and herbs to revive, renew and maintain immunity.
Naked Juice is truly different from the many juice beverage choices available to consumers because we use only the best bare naked fruits in all of our juices. You may see other juices with evaporated cane juice or organic cane juice – don’t be fooled by those. We never add sugar to our products and never will.
What’s next for Naked – new flavours, more ethical initiatives or a move into Europe?
Durham: We always have a number of exciting new initiatives brewing! Our blend masters are always working on delicious new flavours. In August, we introduced two new additions to our Protein Zone line: Mango and Double Berry. We’ve also recently begun offering Chai Spiced Cider, a 100% apple juice with a magical blend of Indian chai spices that’s perfect for the fall and holiday months.
Currently in the UK, consumers can find Naked Juice at Waitrose, Whole Foods Market and Starbucks. We’re always looking forward to opportunities to increase distribution and hope to continue expanding our fan base in Europe.
As I’ve mentioned, Naked Juice is committed to being kind to Mother Earth through sustainable sourcing, manufacturing, packaging as well as partnerships, so we plan to continue on our journey towards becoming a more sustainable company.
Mikel Durham is general manager of Naked Juice.
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