can you pass the salt please

We don't know a huge amount about the brandjunkie awards but they have just voted us the number 10 brand to sit next to at dinner and said that we are more inspiring than Barack Obama. We're quite revolutionary and green as well apparently.

It's a big global survey though so we're pretty pleased, perhaps they liked the thought of our cute British accents?

cool

The Fonz, Fonzie, Fonzerelli. Now he was cool. So cool in fact that he'd go water skiing in a leather jacket (no handed). We could only ever aspire to be that cool when we were young.

We got a step closer recently though after being named one of the top 500 'Cool Brands' in the UK. Here's our page in the Cool Brands 2007/2008 book.

The awards are judged on innovation, style and desirability. Qualities we try to live by everyday funnily enough.

al gore, prince charles and our special prize

scruffy Anthony and gorgeous Emma get the prize (fourth and fifth from left)

Prince Charles, Vice President Al Gore, influential speakers on global issues, flattering us and telling us we were helping to make a difference. Whatever next?

The reason all of these dignitaries are standing with us is because we won a National Example of Excellence from Business in the Community for our Supergran campaign. As well as the prize, Al Gore said Emma's dress was very nice. We're trying very hard not to let it all go to our heads. My mother punctured my balloon by labelling me a scruff for not wearing a tie.

Thanks again to everyone who knitted hats and to Sainsbury's and EAT who sold them for us. More about our plans for this year coming soon...

where should we plant this tree?

 

We got to go the Mayor of London's office recently, to receive our 'Big Tick' award for our Supergran campaign. The awards are described as "awards for the positive impact responsible business operations and activities have in the marketplace, the workplace, the environment or in the community." And naturally we're chuffed to bits to win one.

But the question is this - where should we plant the oak sapling that we got as a prize? We think west London could do with a new tree, but we want to put it somewhere where it's going to be happy and grow up big and strong.

Does anyone have any ideas?

winning stuff on the telly

This isn't we-won-a-prize week, but we did win another prize. And seeing as this one was on the telly, it seems churlish not to give you a blow by blow account, almost as if you'd watched it on the box:

The show begins. It's on prime time ITV, just like Coronation Street and Heartbeat. Proper telly.

Here's Gordon. He'll be presenting the prize for 'Business Achievement'.

"Could it be us?" Adam wonders. Jon and Richard say nothing and smile, whilst the women behind them fall asleep.

"Blimey," says Adam, "we've won." Jon is excited and quickly looks down to check that his shoes are on the right feet.

"Thank you Gordon" says Jon. "And good luck with the new job."

"I knew we shouldn't have let him collect the prize," think Jon and Richard.

Rubbish captions aside, we were very surprised and extrememly chuffed to win. As Adam said in his acceptance speech, "I'd just like to thank my hairdresser" we couldn't have done it without the people who drink our drinks. Without you, we'd be a useless business. So thank you, again. We've got a lot to be grateful for.

we won a green prize

We just won a special new prize. Now, as you know, not only do we like to buy the best tasting fruit, but we also try to buy it from farms which look after both the environment and their workers. To help us do that, we work with the Rainforest Alliance, an international non-profit organisation that protects ecosystems and the people and wildlife that live within them.

Last week it was the Rainforest Alliance's 20th birthday, and at the celebrations we were lucky enough to receive their Green Globe Award for businesses that "demonstrate an extraordinary commitment to furthering sustainability by integrating environmental and social sustainability into their work."

They only gave out three such prizes worldwide, so we were honoured to win. We promise to carry on being good and doing good, even if Rich and Adam did look like scruffy b*ggers when picking up the prize.

(l-r Patrick Swayze, Gareth Gates, James Bond)

We'd also like to take this opportunity to introduce you to Carlos Vega, the new Fruit Supply Coordinator with the Rainforest Alliance (we helped provide the funding for his role). Carlos will be helping us buy more Rainforest Alliance certified fruit, including pineapple, orange, acai and acerola.

He's Costa Rican, loves laptops with big screens, and enjoys a double can of beer before he goes to bed.  He knows the fruit industry inside out and is going to be invaluable to us in our quest for more certified fruit.

euro prize

Marijntje (in the middle) collects the trophy

We won a prize. We think it's the first prize we've one for being a good European (as opposed to British) company, so we are naturally getting excited and doing a whoopee dance.

Specifically, the prize was the European Business Award for Growth Strategy. After winning the regional and national heats at the end of last year, we were up against some big guns like EDF Energy and O2 this time around. We did very well to win.

Niels and Marijntje from our Dutch office went to pick up the award. Here's a picture of Niels trying to break it during the train ride home.

most influential company 2006

We were voted Most Influential Company in the Best Of 2006 lists on the howies website. We're flattered. We're not the best company in the world but it's nice that people are interested in what we're doing. And howies, you ain't too bad yourselves.

nice prize

We won two prizes. This time it was at the National Business Awards, where we won Growth Strategy of the Year and Business Innovation of the Year (for our kids drinks). These awards are a pretty big deal, hence the fact that we're chuffed, mainly because it means we did the right things at the right time.

In a break with tradition, there will be no pictures of people arseing about in black tie/posh frocks. Instead, here is the official picture of Richard (on the right) picking up the prize from a man called Steve (left).

good things come in threes

Mike (left) gets the prize

It's been a good few weeks. First the Food Industry award, then the Marketing Week prize, and now the judges special prize at the Food Manufacture Excellence Awards.

This prize was again for the backroom bit of our business. We know it's a bit boring when we go on about it, but being recognised for the way we actually make and distribute our drinks is something special. It means we're beating bigger, richer companies, who have a whole load more people and experience to help them. As Mike (our proud Operations Manager) says  "Our supply chain is recognised by the industry as being one of the best in the business, from the sourcing of our ingredients through to the manufacturing and supply process."

our Operations team, on a slope

And our favourite quote of the evening? When the man on the stage said "Innocent Drinks are a role model to the whole manufacturing industry". Tears were shed.

Matt left the trousers at home but kept the fashionistas happy with this stunning bow tie