Juice It Up!, one of the nation’s leading handcrafted smoothie, raw juice, and superfruit bowl chains, is proud to celebrate 20 years of açaí alongside its longtime partner, Sambazon. Just as SAMBAZON is known for being the first company to bring the delicious powers of açaí to consumers around the world, Juice It Up! was one of the first, if not the first, smoothie and bowl franchises in the U.S. to introduce the superfruit to its menus back in 2001, before the little-known Brazilian berry had achieved its reputation as an antioxidant powerhouse. To mark this 20-year milestone, Juice It Up! will offer a variety of exclusive offers to Juice It Up! Rewards members and the brand’s social media fans throughout November.
Working closely with SAMBAZON, which was founded in San Clemente, Calif., just one year earlier, Juice It Up! proudly launched its Ultimate Açaí Smoothie and Bowl at all locations in 2001. Juice It Up! Vice President of Supply Chain, Melissa Aills remembers traveling to each location educating staff on the many benefits of açaí – and even its correct pronunciation! For the last two decades, Juice It Up! has continued to innovate with the antioxidant-rich berry, helping to make the powerful superfood a household name in the process. Now, 20 years later, the original-formula Ultimate Açaí Smoothie and Bowl remain on the Juice It Up! menu alongside a growing variety of functional and flavorful superfruit creations developed by the brand’s dedicated food science team.
“A journey spanning two decades is a long one, and we are grateful to have worked in lockstep with an amazing company like SAMBAZON to emerge as one of the nation’s first chains to introduce açaí smoothies and bowls to our guests,” says Susan Taylor, Juice It Up! President and CEO. “Today, we are as committed as ever to remaining at the forefront of food science by utilizing vitamin-packed superfoods to provide our guests with the best tasting functional products in the smoothie and bowl market.”
Before açaí was hailed as one of the most nutritionally dense superfoods on the planet, Juice It Up! knew this little-known ingredient was going to be big. It’s this foresight that has helped the brand stay ahead of the trends and introduce new superfruits, like acerola and pitaya, to guests in the form of delicious smoothies and bowls. Today, at Juice It Up!’s more than 80 locations throughout California, New Mexico, Oregon and Texas, guests can enjoy a variety of açaí creations, including the Protein Açaí and Cold Brew Açaí Bowls.
“From the very beginning, our partnership with Juice It Up! has been a key component in our commitment to introduce this amazing superfood to the world,” says SAMBAZON Co-founders Ryan and Jeremy Black. “SAMBAZON is the first Certified Fair Trade and Organic Açaí company in the world; we take great pride in our industry leadership position and the pioneering spirit on which SAMBAZON was based. Juice It Up! folds similar attributes, including its industry-leading innovation, into its brand DNA, which has made for a fruitful partnership that we look forward to enjoying for another 20 years.”
To celebrate this 20-year milestone, all Juice It Up! Rewards Members will receive $5 off any large açaí smoothie or bowl from November 15-19, 2021. One-time use only, not valid with any other offer or promotion. A variety of social media incentives will also be offered, including the chance to win Juice It Up! gift cards and a prize package that includes a $200 Juice It Up! gift card, a Blendjet Blender, SAMBAZON Patagonia Bag, Nomadix Towel, and wooden utensil set amongst other goodies.
