Food
Top 10 Untold Truths About Jamba Juice
These days, if you haven’t had the chance to try Jamba Juice yet, you must be from another planet. Although the company only opened in 1990, it’s present in 26 US states and the rest of North America. From the Caribbean, all the way to the Pacific, Jamba Juice smoothies and juice drinks are making a killing like a powerful storm, hurricane or typhoon. Here, at last, are the top 10 secrets of a restaurant retailer that has managed to build a thriving business straight from the blender.
10. It’s True: Jamba Juice Has a Secret Menu
Presenting: the Jamba Juice secret menu uncovered by YouTube superstar Joey Graceffa and Dan Myers for Fox News. What’s so interesting about Joey’s discovery is that he’s the only one to really do an actual taste test of Jamba Juice’s top secret cache of smoothies. What more, he ranks them from best to worst by using nothing but his taste buds and the pleasure center of his brain, of course. So let’s look at what we got here, based on Joey’s list.
Peanut Butter & Jelly is out; Sour Patch is in. So don’t get caught ordering the peanut butter smoothie of Jamba Juice, unless you want to suspect that something is rotten like Joey learned from recent experience. The superstar believes that there’s a dead rat lurking inside of every cup, so don’t even think about it. Unless of course, you’re an adrenaline junkie who likes the challenge of uneatable foods. As for the Jamba Juice Sour Patch, it’s all systems go. It’s definitely the best tasting of the preeminent smoothie maker’s secret cache. Joey also highly recommends the White Gummy Bear and Fruity Pebbles. As for the Skittles flavor, the verdict is that it’s much too sour for its own good. So unless you’re a stickler for the sour taste, don’t order this stuff from your favorite Jamba Juice joint.
9. A Top Secret Jamba Juice Smoothie & Ice Pop Maker
Psst…do you know that there’s a Jamba Juice Smoothie & Ice Pop Maker that’s kid-friendly and childproof? Yes, Sarah from YouTube’s Toy Reviews for You discovered the cute and collectible blender from an antique store and got it working in no time. What’s so good about the blender is that it makes smoothies, as well as any Jamba Juice employee, does. So maybe, that’s the major reason why no one ever sees the collector’s item anymore.
Another thing that’s so cool is that making Jamba Juice smoothies is easy even a kid can do it. Of course, the mouth of the blender cup has a web-like plastic to prevent any young soul from poking his or her fingers inside the container. Best of all, the flip side of the blender has a handy ice drop maker that’s so easy to operate. It’s not difficult to understand why Jamba Juice no longer offers the toy-like blender. Maybe they’re afraid that the cute device can easily put them out of business. So if you want to be a Jamba Juice copycat, all you have to do is search antique and thrift stores for any semblance of the machine that holds plenty of secrets as far as smoothie making is concerned.
Here are a few hints. Jamba Juice uses only the freshest fruits that are thoroughly washed and cut into tiny pieces. Second, no extra water is added. Apart from the crushed ice, the only liquid that goes inside the blender is a juice like orange. And third, there’s no added sugar; let the natural fruits do the sweetening. You just got to give it to Jamba Juice for thinking of these things.
8. Why Jamba Juice Is Really Healthy
Here’s the reason why Jamba Juice is the epitome of the healthy smoothie. Apart from not adding sugar, Jamba Juice smoothies are vegan for the most part. And that’s because instead of using milk or cream, Jamba Juice uses soy milk. From a vegan point of view, this means that absolutely no animal products go into every Jamba juice or smoothie. Of course, customers are free to ask if they prefer real milk or cream in their smoothies. By default, however, soy milk is the base of most JJ smoothies.
As for the fruits that Jamba Juice juices, they are blast frozen in order to preserve their natural-born nutrients like vitamin C and other powerful antioxidants like vitamin E and D. Blueberries and blackberries are the regular fruit staple of Jamba juices, so help yourself by going for these fruits. That’s because these berries are antioxidant-rich. If you want to strengthen your immune system from stress and weather challenges, going for the Jamba Juice brand rather than Booster Juice or Starbucks is a step in the right direction. For the fact remains, not all smoothies are created equal. Therefore, we shouldn’t penalize juices and smoothies by lumping them in the category of sinfully sugarlicious drinks. After all, Jamba Juice doesn’t make smoothies like the others out there.
7. Why Jamba Juice Trumps Starbucks
If you’ve tried Starbucks smoothies, you know that it’s loaded with fats, sugar and dairy, making these blender-based drinks unhealthy especially for someone who’s trying to lose weight or keeping a strictly vegan diet. This practice comes from the coffee maker’s strong latte background. In contrast, Jamba Juice uses fat-free probiotics and packs a lot of leafy green vegetables into nearly every shake it produces. Admittedly, Jamba Inc. went into a Starbucks aping mode when it decided to add wraps, salads, and oatmeal to its menu in 2008. Packing juice drinks with non-taste altering veggies, herbs, and spices was a Jamba Juice stroke of genius in 2014. And at the rate that the industry leader is innovating, the best is yet to come. For sure, there are a lot of things going on in the back burner. So when it comes to shakes and juices, Jamba Juice has definitely re-engineered the business along the healthy lines.
And you thought Starbucks personnel are the friendliest on the planet. Think again. Starbucks gold card aside, the Jamba Juice crew is world-famous for its friendliness and courtesy. Independent consumer surveys prove this. If you’re in doubt, just try making a mock complaint. Chances are, that’s not going to make any difference. Jamba Juice staff will still throw out all the love, empathy, and compassion that you deserve as a customer. The only thing is that nothing still beats the Starbucks reward system that gives out double points for every dollar spent at the store. Three dollars off for every 35 points or for joining the Jamba Juice rewards program just can’t compare with free food.
6. How Jamba Juice Loses Out to Starbucks and Other Brands
Jamba Juice isn’t perfect. Like other food franchises like Starbucks or Tim Hortons, Jamba Juice has faults of its own. Like blast freezing fruits for instance. Instead of sourcing them locally, fruits like mangoes come from faraway lands like the Philippines. Costa Rica is a closer alternative for say, pineapples, but because of import and export challenges, compromises are made for the sake of convenience. Unlike Tim Hortons, however, Jamba Juice doesn’t use preservatives in its raw ingredients if only to extend their shelf life.
Still, at the end of the day, Jamba Juice fruits and other ingredients are discarded once they are past their stage of freshness. With close to 11% of the world population living on the poverty line, this literally means throwing unwilted fruits and vegetables in the garbage bin. Over the past few years, Starbucks has shown the way for other players in the industry by donating their unsold foods to a charity such as local homeless shelters. Jamba Juice is yet to follow this example. Understandably, the Starbucks example may be hard to follow. So for a business that was started by a bicycle and physical fitness aficionado, Jamba Juice still has a long way to go in its nearly 30-year-old history when it comes to minding the starving masses of society that are found in both affluent and third world countries.
5. Jamba Juice Calories High & Low
It’s time to use the calorie counter on Jamba Juice to find out how the business holds out in the game. However, when it comes to this arena, there are really no big surprises. The average caloric content of a small Jamba Juice smoothie is around 200 to 300, which is not bad when compared with other drinks in the same category. And besides, you ought to take a look at just how much fiber you’ll be getting per drink. The bottom line is, juice is really nothing but empty calories unless you throw in pulp and other nutrients like pectin. So the next time you worry about calories, just think about what you can be missing when you go on a calorie-hunting spree.
4. The Jamba Juice Outtakes that You’ve Managed to Miss
Yes, Virginia, there has been a great many skirmishes between juice manufacturers that have not been seen on TV. One biggie is the purported venture between Nestle and Jamba Juice that never materialized. At one time, Nestle swore to sell Jamba Juices in ready-to-drink formats worldwide and yet never got off the ground with it. For Jamba Juice, however, this is a blessing in disguise. After all, Nestle can easily be the world’s biggest food conglomerate.
To see how the Nestle tentacles work, just consider how the company at one time made an alliance with the Philippines’ biggest homegrown food conglomerate, San Miguel Corporation. It wasn’t long before the Swiss food giant stole the latter’s ice cream business, Magnolia. Jamba Juice may be big but then not as big as Nestle. If the partnership at all achieved fruition, it would have been like being swallowed up by a crocodile. Jamba is wordplay on the Swahili word for celebration. Had Nestle been able to gobble up Jamba Juice, there would be no cause for a celebration today.
3. What Makes Jamba Juice Better than Booster Juice
Compared to the Booster Juice business, Jamba Juice drinks are relatively lower in calories and of course, can be loaded with fruits and vegetables without losing its prominent taste advantage so evident in popular taste tests. Price wouldn’t be the second biggest factor when it comes to choosing between Jamba Juice and Booster Juice. The more crucial item is that if you have lactose intolerant or extremely sensitive to milk products but love to eat or drink them anyway, Booster Juice isn’t cut out for you. Rest assured, you will be running frequently to the comfort room for relief. With Jamba Juice, there are no worries, unless of course, you ask the Jamba Juice crew to substitute soy milk for milk or cream.
And, since Booster Juice was a Canadian business that was founded only in 1999, Jamba Juice has nine years’ worth of jump start over the competition. Also, it’s not a wild assumption to accuse the company as the copycat. Booster Juice is also pretty big, especially in Canada, but the company is yet to find a way to cut into the profits of Jamba Juice in other key markets. The battle is worth fighting for. After all, the growth rate of the fruit shakes market is 30% on an annual basis. Compare that to a measly 3% growth rate for the fast-food business. This is the reason why McDonald’s is trying desperately to arm wrestle Jamba Juice at the craft.
2. Jamba Juice as a Meal Replacement
Who knows that you can actually use Jamba Juice as a substitute for a full meal? Of course, you can! The Jamba Juice Five Fruit Frenzy is especially recommended. It was developed in conjunction with the American PTA as a quick and liquid powerhouse that’s perfect for the needs of young students and adults alike—and especially those who work grueling hours in a stressful work environment. The recipe for the Jamba Juice shake is simple: just real fruits and juices blended to perfection. It consists of blueberries, strawberries, mangoes, peaches, and bananas. Consistent with the Jamba Juice way, the liquid that goes along with the fruits are juices and nothing else saved for the crushed ice: mixed berry and peach to be exact.
Here are even more attractive options. Mango-A-Go-Go, which, as you might guess, consists basically of mangoes with some passion fruit added. The taste is irresistible. But be forewarned, this Jamba Juice concoction has sherbet, which is defined as a frozen dessert made of juice, milk, cream or egg white. So for all the vegans out there, this is not an option. The same goes for Caribbean Passion, a passion fruit, mango, strawberry and peaches combo in an orange juice base. For the old-fashioned among us, classic freshly squeezed orange juice with a boost makes an excellent alternative to Ensure or SlimFast. Just add extra proteins, whey, flax or fiber for a measly 50 cents more. You can choose to add caffeine, too, if you want.
1. Jamba Juice Is Playing in an $11-trillion Industry
This goldmine, of which Jamba Juice, McDonald’s, Starbucks, Booster Juice and Tim Hortons are the key players, can only be expected to grow astronomically as the price of food escalates or that it becomes more scarce now and in the not-so-distant future. Presently, the population of Earth stands at 7.6 billion. If worldwide crop patterns remain the same, sooner or later, there won’t be enough food for everybody.
McDonald’s literally stole the fire from heaven when it embarked on a head-to-head competition with Jamba Juice so much so that nowadays, it’s cheaper to buy a strawberry banana smoothie from the fast food leader. Just like Jamba Juice, McDonald’s smoothies are all natural with pure fruit content. While Tim Hortons manufactures its own brand of smoothies by throwing in syrups in place of real fruits, the fast food giant has learned that making their smoothies the Jamba Juice can be far more profitable in the long run. And thus far, the only thing that Mickey D’s hasn’t learned from JJ is how to add kale, cucumbers, beets, ginger, and other vegetables into the mix without causing any adverse effects in the tastiness of the final product.
The even bigger news is, it’s only a matter time before Jamba Juice reaches every consumer’s turf because the company hasn’t stopped growing since it was founded in 1990. So considering all factors, McDonald’s and Jamba Juice are off the finish line in the battle for the burgeoning smoothie market. It’s very hard to predict who’s going to be the real winner. To illustrate, Tim Hortons had the leading edge in coffee not too long ago. But that was only up until McDonald’s smartened up by offering McCafe. So nowadays, in coffee shops everywhere, Mickey D’s is trouncing Tim Horton’s coffee by offering piping hot and rewards-laden caffeine drinks. As a result, the hegemony of Tim’s in traditional markets such as Canada is fast fading since the company can’t even guarantee that it delivers piping hot coffee each and every time.
And considering that Timmy’s has lost its lead in the smoothie business a long time ago, the battle for the smoothies can only heat up between McDonald’s and Jamba Juice. With the patented Mickey D’s presence in over 35,000 stores worldwide, Jamba Juice can fold if the fast food giant manages to get a clear handle on the veggies but goodies content of its award-winning and yet dirt cheap smoothie offerings. So it seems that Jamba Juice should worry more about McDonald’s rather than Starbucks in the looming smoothie wars. For one, Starbucks hasn’t even made a fix on the evidently strong sugar content of its cold drinks.