The Big J was formed in the late 1990s by self-confessed juice anorak and life long teetotaller Josephine Beach. “As a kid, when the word ‘smoothie’ implied a rather charming man, a marathon was something you ate and fat-free meant you were out of lard, I would whiz up fruits, eggs, milk, yoghurt and anything else I could find in my mum’s blender to make mad concoctions just for fun. As an adult consumer, I sought beverages that would offer the same taste and fun; I found that at the time they were nonexistent and so The Big J was born.”

Today The Big J boasts a whole range of award winning healthy smoothies, juices and juice drinks which are supplied worldwide to 18 countries, across 3 continents. The popular smoothiepack® brand is no.1 smoothie brand in Japan, Iceland and Norway. Having racked up no less than 15 industry awards recognising their product innovation, quality, business excellence and of course great tasting products, The Big J explains why their drinks are proving so popular in the world of vending.

Innovators in the ambient smoothie market

The packaging The Big J select for each brand ensures the product is kept as fresh as the day it is made, whilst also giving a good shelf life without the use of any preservatives or UHT. The Big J created the first 100% pure fruit ambient smoothie in the UK, smoothiepack® which was launched in 2001 and was the first drink to be packaged in the unique prisma tetra pak.

Launching what is normally considered to be a premium chilled product into ambient packaging took a leap of faith, however Josephine could already see how smoothiepack® would make smoothies affordable and accessible to all. Josephine explains, “For many years we have been stressing the benefits of aseptic packaging in the soft drinks category and explaining that aseptic does not mean UHT, or that a product contains preservatives or is inferior. Our smoothies are produced in exactly the same way as other chilled short shelf life smoothies, using the same fruit processes; we just choose to package our products differently to avoid waste and product deterioration. The term ‘aseptic’ is much more widely accepted than when we first launched this product and now that many manufacturers are reworking their recipes in a bid to meet consumer demands for more natural options, aseptic packaging whether it be a carton or PET bottle is in big demand.”

The Big J products have a minimum ambient shelf life of 6 months, making them manageable throughout foodservice, retail and vending. As a result their drinks are enjoyed worldwide and even on airlines, cruise lines, trains as well as leading at health clubs, hotels, restaurants and throughout business and industry.

As the whole range also meets the new Food in Schools Guidelines for drinks, they are also already listed in many schools, colleges and universities. Premium 100% pure fruit smoothies generally carry a premium price tag. The Big J developed a pricing policy that meets both the needs of the school and the distributor; as a result smoothiepack® can be retailed for under £1.00, making it an affordable healthy option.

Not surprisingly, producers of the BBC’s Grange Hill programme have selected smoothiepack® for the third year running to appear on the set of the infamous Grange Hill common room, in their bid to support the healthy eating at school message.

The Big J brands

Each brand contains the equivalent of one of the recommended ‘5 a day’ portions of fruit and vegetables and is approved by the Vegetarian Society. These genuinely healthy drinks have no additives, preservatives, artificial sweeteners, added sugars, wheat, gluten, dairy or genetically modified organisms.

Having worked in the smoothie market for several years now, The Big J understands that one serving solution doesn’t fit all and their brands reflect the many opportunities that exist in vending.

smoothiepack®: a 100% pure fruit smoothie ready to drink, with bright and funky packaging, available in a 250ml carton or Smoothie Smile® a 330ml screw cap aseptic PET bottle.

Smoothie Smile® bag in box is the perfect solution for venues with limited chiller space or high footfall, as this machine allows 80 chilled smoothies to be dispensed from each refill.

On the juice side, The Big J has two brands, the award winning Roald Dahl® juice drinks, ideal for the younger consumer and voted ‘Best Children’s Drink’ at the Quality Food & Drink Awards 2006 and for the adult juice consumer thejuicecollection®, a range of 100% pure fruit juices in a 330ml screw cap aseptic PET bottle.

What next for The Big J?

Not one to stand still, Josephine confirms that whilst The Big J is playing their new product development card close to their chest! “I can confirm that we won’t be chasing any super fruit claims. There are so many claims that some fruits are superior to others, I have always maintained that ALL fruit is super!! Did you know that just a 150ml serving of 100% pure fruit juice or smoothie made with ANY fruit whether it is fresh, frozen, concentrated, chilled or canned counts towards 1 of your 5 a day full fruit portions?“

For further information on The Big J products, pricing and samples, please contact Karena Clarke on 0870 242 1102 or visit www.thebigj.com