The company also defends his green values

After having seduced ride adult, to be imposed in the fridges families, he hopes to accompany children to school. The smoothie King launches this month ' P'tit Smoothie ", a carton to drag in the binder that can remain eight hours out of the fridge with his conditioning. And even if the logo to the Angel bouille is still to play the innocent, this time, it is informed that he attacked this new market. The British who, in 2003, opened the way in France to drink fresh fruit mixed without additives, conservative or dye, the famous "smoothies" (from "smooth", creamy in English), meeting today a serious problem: arriving at keep and its advance and its specificity.

Because they are many now to be launched these past two years on this new market. Small bottles of brightly coloured invade bakeries, coffee shops and supermarkets and surfing on the wave of the "good health", the "snaking" (snack) and especially also the laziness of the consumer towards the use of a centrifuge. Result: they are the profitability of fruit juice segment with nearly 10 million euros of annual sales, according to Nielsen, and contributed to the jump in 19 of the market in 2007. In six months the distributor of IRI panel notes that the French market has quintupled, from 167.000 litres sold in January 2008 to 920.000 litres passed in August. All agri-food giants have returned since 2006: Orangina Schweppes, Pampryl (fruit delights), auvergnat Toury (Cidou mixed fruits), Andros (Fruit Addict), Minute Maid (Fruit snacks), Hero (Fruit2 day). Marks distributors, Auchan Casino from Carrefour, followed the movement. And niche marks such as the French Immedia, which started three years ago, or the troublemaker Michel et Augustin clearly duplicated the concept of Innocent (read "Les Echos" from July 28). But it is the arrival of Tropicana (Pepsico) in April which won this summer more than half of sales for the month of August and talonné draining of the market value of Innocent (31.8) conducted between January and June with 31.1, according to the Nielsen panel.

Individualized marketing

To this tidal wave, what remains for Innocent, sympathetic precursor but still young "We can be proud of having created a market which did not exist and to be followed today." "The arrival of Tropicana has allowed us to recruit new consumers", defending with Philippe Cantet, the French CEO of Innocent smile. Not question to impress. Or not more than change of strategy. The British is still a small company of 200 people in total on a dozen markets (20 persons in France) to sales Europe of EUR 170 million in 2007. In France, it has sold 5 million units between 2005 and 2007, and plans for the year 2008 alone, 5 million units, including the half sold in GMS and half outside the home. "We are a Federation of start-up gathered around a nice mark," summarizes the pattern that displays 400 growth in 2007!

Where a marketing very individualized "one to one", who weaves his canvas, a far cry from a Tropicana. Now well established in the Paris region and in the capital after to be launched with customers happy few of Colette Innocent launches in province by attacking downtowns. "We are small, so we proceed step by step." "The aim is each time to be the preferred brand of a neighbourhood", said Sophie Baudin, Director of marketing. And to infiltrate everywhere, as well at Monoprix than in Carrefour or Champion.

Preference Small brand has continued to play on this registry in emotion. His garrulous packagings are eye winks in which it invites its customers to him remain faithful with a good dose of humour. Thus the small bottle mango and fruit of the passion says: "there are a lot of things"hyper"today: hypermarkets, the hyperbranchés, the hyperprésidents.". Not easy to navigate all these "hyper". In Innocent, we have decided to stay simple and natural: a mixture of the best mixed fruit and pure fresh juice (...). There is that of the fruit and nothing of the fruit. HyperCool. "And just below, text box, figure"The Innocent promise"... that ends in a spin"and it never trichera in the Monopoly. " Over the company's address is an invitation to "visit us". Each bottle tells a different story. The raspberries and blackberries perfume tells a story inspired by Frankenstein and dubbed "frankenfruit." "Our number one value". "A healthy, natural and good product", defends the Director of marketing with marks "mass market".

The company also defends his green values. It prefers fruits certified by independent organizations and pays more expensive those farms accredited by organizations such as the Rainforest Alliance. All of its bananas are so certified. Pineapple, fruit ecologically incorrect its culture is greedy of water and pesticides, was the subject of an investment of 90.000 euros to Costa Rica the creation of a farm.

Low carbon footprint

Finally, the packaging is designed to have the lowest ecological footprint possible. In 2000, the small plastic bottle was conducted at 25 recycled pet. Since January, it is 100 recycled PET-based, and in fact the first global food packaging recycled pet, welcomed the company. Allowing it to proudly display a decrease of 55 of its CO2 emissions. Its carbon footprint, it fell by 16 between 2007 and 2008 and is expected to continue to decline at a rate of 7 per year. Finally, the small business spends 10 of its profits to charities through his Innocent Foundation. "We try to keep both the pioneer and positive approach," said Philippe Cantet.

Noted: every winter, everywhere in France, volunteers knit and small caps in wool to cap bottles of Innocent. That is not want to attract the eyes of consumers. For each purchased bottle with a CAP, 50 cents shall be returned to the little brothers of the poor, accompanying persons over 50 years with isolation and poverty. Last winter broke records with more than 30,000 bottles sold. And to appear even more authentic, it does not hesitate to coat its pickup trucks and its artificial turf fridges.

It prevents: its product remains expensive. Simply because its raw material is expensive. "Our argument is to say: buy the weight of fresh fruit in a litre.". "And you'll see that it will cost more than the double," argue the pattern. The Nielsen panel evaluates the average price per litre at 5.20 euros. But the arrival of the pack Leader Price to 1.99 euro 75 centilitres relegates that of Innocent in a luxury product with its EUR 3.99.

With a lack of standard of the product, and the resurgence of off-the-wall recipes or abuse of name, Unijus, Union of fruit juices, have the intention of cleaning up in the category. He recalled that the smoothie is a texture, not content. "This is a debate, but is not ours," said Philippe Cantet. "It will not prevent Yoplait make a yogurt called"smoothie"." We have neither the means nor the time to enter the battle. "His battle Stay in the legend growing not only fruits but also pragmatism and humour that presided over its birth: in 1998, the three founding members English asked viewers whether they should leave their jobs to engage in fresh fruit juice by offering to throw their tasting Cup in a dustbin "yes" or "No". Guess which was the more full