innocent orange juice

We've always wanted to do an orange juice. In fact, we've been making it for years to go into our smoothies. Recently we got to thinking: why keep all the stuff we've learned about squeezing oranges hidden away?

So all this week we've been squeezing oranges, getting our orange juice down to the village fete (dishing out plenty of free samples) and finally onto the shelves of Sainsbury's and Tescos. If you've tried it already please let us know what you think by emailing OJ@innocentdrinks.com , or by leaving a comment on this post. We're bursting to know your thoughts.

The bottom two photos were added to our facebook fete page by Dwiko Arie Nugroho & Fi Oakes so all copyrights and stuff belong to them. We hope you don't mind us using them here Dwiko & Fi, they're great shots of the giant orange so we couldn't resist.

Comments

[John McKerrell]

I'm dying to try this. While I love your smoothies I have always thought that the best juice drink available is a type of OJ that you only seem to get in the summer months. All the big supermarkets seem to do a version (and it's probably made by the same people), it usually goes under the "Taste the difference" or "Extra Special" or whatever the supermarket's own "premium" brand is. It will be very interesting to see how your own orange compares, I'll have to try some out and let you know!

[Mike Reed]

I bet Innocent OJ is delicious. But I'd be interested to know how you justify flying oranges from 'all over the world', just to put yet another variety of orange juice on our supermarket shelves.

Put another way, how green is your orange?

(I'm not as aggressive as I may sound.)

[Tina]

I picked up a carton of this when I left the london village fete on saturday. I was so gutted that my boyfriend didn't pick up a carton too (he doesnt take freebies apparently), I wouldn't mind, but he enjoyed it so much that he actually drank most of my carton. Although a slight consolation was that I had a good giggle on the tube back reading the carton, I think the other commuters must have thought I was mad! I look forward to trying this off the shelf at different times as I am so bored of orange juice tasting the same no matter what time of the year it is. Good work and thank you!

[Jess]

How green is our orange? Sustainability Jess here. We are committed to keeping our carbon footprint to a minimum - so we find the best oranges we can and then look to find the most carbon-efficient way of getting them into our cartons.  We have a policy of moving our ingredients by land or sea only; we will not air freight. We work closely with our partners across our supply chain to improve energy efficiencies, whether it’s in the manufacturing or distribution process. Interestingly in our recent carbon audit we found that food miles contributes less than 20% of our overall footprint, and that to achieve the greatest reductions we should be working on areas like packaging and bottling. Doesn’t mean we won’t keep looking for the most efficient way to transport our fruit though. Last year we reduced our carbon footprint by 15% and this year we are working to achieve another 5% reduction.

[Ossy]

I'm sitting here in my office at work thirsty as ever overlooking hyde park and dying for a cool drink. I open up my personal e-mail (naughty naughty) and see your newsletter come through only to read about an OJ made by you. Finally a name I can trust comes up with such a simple yet FULFILLING product!

[Morgan]

I have been drinking Innocent OJ all week after getting it from the Innocent fete and I have to say it is scrumpdiddlyumptious! It complimented my breakfast perfectly and Ive felt dead healthy all week so thank you very much Innocent guys for this scrumptious OJ

[Gemma]

I thought your orange juice was superb!
I got it from the fete =]
was wayy to nice, that i drank it in one day =[
got my mum to buy some more.
it was that nice i left the cartoon on the table (it was empty) my dad went to have some and it had all gone ^_^

[Esther]

I have followed innocent for a long time now. Being in the business, I admire your commitment not only to taste but to our planet. Haven't had the privilege of trying your products yet - when ARE you coming across the pond? I live in the middle of the most natural source of orange juice and therefore must be a connesieur?? Can you adopt me - I would love to be part of your family!
Esther

[vicky k]

Im so excited about trying this! I love the innocent range as you know you what you getting, I dont mind paying slightly more as I know for definate that theres no nasties hidden. Love the smoothies, esp coconut, banana and pineapple mixed with a bit of Malibu. Makes a girlie night in fun!

[craig]

I think that it is a great idea, but i personally would like more smoothie recepies.

Although im sure that Innocent OJ will be the nicest OJ around, there are loads of types of OJ.

You have the best smoothie idea, kkep them coming :)

[Greenie]

Its not a novel comment, but I for one won't be trying it...oranges from all over the world...me thinks not ....sorry.

[Tom Blaikie]

Karl Pilkington eating carrots dipped in marmalade with an oompa loompa at halloween!

[Tom Blaikie]

Oops sorry wrong page...Sorry for the random comment above it was for the orange competetion. Can someone delete it and this post?

[Jack Miller]

I think starting your own line of orange juice is an interesting idea.
I have no dout that it will be tasty but I do think that it is a bit risky entering into an already heavily saturated market.
Innocent Smoothies came along at a time when bottled smoothies were not that common and have since grown into a huge industry.
The Juice market has been popular for years and has therefore got many companies competing for the same customers. The smoothie market now also has much competition but as Innocent were one of the originators they have a leg up on the competition.
Entering into the the juice market at this stage where companies like Tropicana have a large amount of the fresh orange juice market share therefore carries many risks.
I am not convinced that innocent should branch out into this new range but I am sure you have thought of these points anyway and taken measures to insure success.
All I can say is Good Luck and I will try your juice when i next get the chance,

Jack Miller

[Andrew]

The cartons we picked up at the Fete were delicious. Fresh and light, not sweet and cloying or bitter and powdery like the stuf from concentrate.
Well done innocent.

[Sandra]

I’m a little confused here.
Wasn’t there an innocent orange juice that you guys decided to take out of the market a while ago? ‘Cause I remember drinking it. It came in small bottles and tasted of... (nice) orange juice.
So, am I missing something? Is this new orange juice in a carton different from the old one?
Well. I suffer from an acute case of brand loyalty* and will happily swap to innocent oj as soon as it reaches a supermarket shelf near me.

* It’s quite a severe condition, and there’s apparently no cure yet – according to my GP. He also said my condition is pretty widespread these days...

[Tondon]

Great product great identity great healthy stuff etc but will you be sourcing more of your fruit more locally in the future? it will help you to be innocent if you do.

[Anthony]

Tondon, Anthony from innocent here, I completely agree with what you say about local sourcing when possible. We currently use some European varieties in our drink as they are tasting great. However due to the changing seasons and qaulity of the harvests we have to look further afield. One thing we'll never do is air freight our oranges though.

[Marta]

Hello! I love innocent smoothies and i love orange juice so this sounds great. however i am a bit concerned about the "oranges from all over the world"...i know innocent cares for the environment so surely there is an explanation, i hope you are not air freighting oranges? that would surely go against your philosophy!

from: innocent lover, marta

[Marta]

oops just read the post above mine sorry.

so how will you transport the oranges?

Marta

[Di]

Oh yum!!!! Got some of ur oj at the fete.....it was brilliant! To all those who haven't tried it, it is totally different to all the other oj's out there, so Innocent have once again found a gap in the market. Give it a go - it is delicious!

[Tina]

I thought you ditched Innocent orange juice because the market was too saturated? (I'm sure there's a pun there somewhere)!

To those who are worried about the sourcing of the oranges - I'd say how does this differ from the smoothies themselves? Most of the recipes contain orange juice or bananas andthese weren't growing freely in the UK last time I looked!

BTW I'm glad it's coming back I loved the old version.

[Porky Pig]

Mmmmmmmmmmmmm! It tastes lovely!

[Yaw]

"One thing we'll never do is air freight our oranges though."

Why are you banging on about airfreight? Who airfreights orange juice? It just seems like a cheap way of appearing 'green'without actually having to do anything.

I'd frankly expect better from Innocent.

[Anthony]

Yaw, Thanks for your comment. You are correct air freighting is mainly used for short life perishable fruit, however it does occur with oranges as well. A ban on air freight is our policy for all our fruit. The reason we expecially mentioned it was that people have been telling us they want more information on this sort of area.

[Yaw]

Okay, fair enough. But how are you telling people about air-freight by just banning it? Isn't that actually rather irrisponsible?

So I did a quick fag packet calculation:

If 1 litre of Innocent OJ contains 12 oranges and the average weight of an orange is around 190g, then you would have to ship 2280g of oranges just to make one carton.

Now if you juiced your oranges in the country of origin then you would only have to fly 1000g AND if the oranges came from somwhere like Brazil or Peru then you'd be doing what the UN is telling us we should be doing which is allowing the developing world to add value to raw materials AT SOURCE, thereby creating employment, social and economic development and transfering skills and expertise to grow a domestic as well as an export market. AND the waste orange peel, pips and pith can be used for composting and biomass energy thereby creating energy for local communities and nutrient-rich soil to grow more oranges.

But we wouldn't want hundreds of extra cargo planes flying around everywhere, so you'd only have to transport your products in the belly-holds of planes that are already flying these routes.

Yes, airfreighting isn't the greenest way to transport oranges but just saying 'we've banned it' is, I think, very irrisponsible.

If you want to tell your customers about the issue and you really are the honest company you say you are, then shouldn't you actually be a little more balanced and fair in your approach?

No, you don't need to airfreight oranges and actually you shouldn't but if you're going to make a bold marketing claim, then I really think you treat your customers with a little more respect than just telling them that you don't air-freight because 'that would just be dumb'!

[Organibandit]

Excellent point, Yaw! As someone who has enjoyed innocent drinks for quite some time now I was saddened to read the airfreight comment on the side of their orange juice; I will not be buying innocent again.

When did Innocent start caring more about its great brand than it did about all of the things that made its brand great in the first place; such as honesty...?

From now on, Innocent drinks will always leave a bitter taste in my mouth.

[Victoria David]

I have to say I completely agree with comments by Yaw and OrganiBandit. The air freighting issue is actually a very complex one and rather than trying to do the fashionable middle class thing of just being anti-flying it might be better to actually speak to those affected by not air freighting, such as farmers in Kenya, Ghana and the rest of Sub-Saharan Africa who rely on it as a means to get their value-added products to the only market they have available - the UK and Europe.

It's not helpful for companies form whom you expect better to make simplistic judgements which have a real impact on poor farmers.

[Linda]

Bland and processed taste. Waitrose own brand and Tropicana tastes better.

[abdominoplasty surgery]

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