Jamba Juice announced the grand opening of its Northwestern University Jamba Juice store, the ninth college location to open in 2009 and the 30th since Jamba first ventured on campus at Stanford in 1997. The initiative builds upon Jamba’s success in launching franchise kiosks and small formats on colleges and universities nationwide, and brings a portable food option to busy students on the go.

“We know that students lead very demanding lives so we are pleased to be able to provide them with a convenient location to get their favorite smoothie without leaving campus,” says Thibault de Chatellus, senior vice president of global franchise and development for Jamba Juice Company. “We also have the added benefit of introducing a new generation of customers to our brand.”

Capitalizing on the trend towards healthier fare within the multi-billion dollar quick-serve category, Jamba offers foodservice operators and colleges and universities an opportunity to serve students looking for on-the-go food choices that support a healthy lifestyle.

“Jamba has always been focused on health and wellness and our product lineup has great appeal for students seeking a better-for-you meal alternative as well as those students just looking for a healthy-fun break from their daily routine,” says Kim Larson, vice president of marketing for Jamba Juice Company. “Our products are made with high-quality, good-for-you ingredients. They contain no artificial flavors, no artificial preservatives, no high fructose corn syrup, and zero grams of trans fat. Additionally, we have menu options available for students with special needs including non-dairy, non-gluten, vegetarian, and vegan diets.”

Jamba also strives to be better for the environment by working closely with campus locations to support their sustainability initiatives. The company helps design stores on those campuses that meet stringent green standards as defined by the U.S. Green Building Council under the LEED program. Those green-friendly design features include the use of recycled materials in wall panels, carpeting, furniture fabrics and tile, the use of more natural lighting with layouts that provide direct outdoor views from 90 percent of all work spaces, and implementation of lighting and air conditioning controls that help conserve energy.

“Jamba is currently working with California Polytechnic State University and Northeastern University in support of their LEED certification efforts,” de Chatellus says. “We are committed to truly being a naturally good-for-you and good-for-the-environment company.”

Jamba Juice campus openings in 2009 include the University of Illinois, Arizona State University West, Bowling Green State University, Florida International University, Sacramento State University, SUNY Buffalo, Northeastern University, the University of California at Irvine, and its newest campus location, Northwestern University.

“I am thrilled with the progress we are achieving against our overall franchise growth strategy,” says James D. White, president and CEO of Jamba Inc. “With the recent campus and airport openings we are well on our way to achieving our goal of opening 40 to 45 new franchise locations by close of 2009.”