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Squeezing new life out of a staid frozen category is Old Orchard Brands. As just one example, unit volume of the company's blended 100% juice products has grown 10% over the previous 52-week period ending 01/06/07, according to ACNielsen. (Includes Food/Drug/Mass and Wal Mart)
Pushing beyond basic frozen juice blends, the company recently launched "the world's first and only super-premium 12-oz. frozen juices"—100% Pure Pomegranate, Pomegranate Blueberry 100%, Pomegranate Cherry 100% and 100% Pure Tart Cherry. "These anti-oxidant rich premium products are bringing new users and incremental dollars into a declining category," states Mark Saur, founder and president of Old Orchard Brands.
Privately owned Old Orchard has quietly grown to become the second-largest U.S. juice brand in terms of total unit volume, second only to Minute Maid. "We offer consumers the largest available product portfolio consisting of every flavor segment, from grape, apple, cranberry and pineapple to seasonal 'ades,' punch, mixers and our new super-premium juices," Saur relays. "We are the only frozen juice brand truly capable of fulfilling all of a retailer's frozen juice needs; none of our competitors can make this claim."
Another big plus—98% of Old Orchard's frozen juice product line is 100% juice, not juice cocktails. "This represents a great value equation for consumers," says Saur. "Additionally, Old Orchard continues to bring new product innovation, trend flavors and packaging improvements to a category that most of our competitors have abandoned for chilled juice."
Old Orchard has made it very clear to the trade that "we are committed to their frozen juice needs," according to Saur. "We have grown our national distribution on the East Coast and with select customers, including Wal-Mart, SuperValu, Meijer, and others," he says. "We have also increased our WIC approvals in almost every state."
Old Orchard continues to market and advertise its frozen products to consumers via store promotions, demo events, direct mail, and web advertising. During 2006, the company launched several consumer promotions aimed at expanding and increasing consumption of its juice products among current and potential users, including a movie tie-in with Garfield 2, and various store-level marketing efforts.
"The frozen consumer is value-conscious and tends to purchase in high-multiples," according to Saur. "We have tailored our programs to meet the needs of the frozen consumer. We have also worked with retailers to tie-in with their loyalty programs, mailers, and fuel rewards programs. We have developed and made available innovative POS materials for retail use including shelf talkers, channel tags, and floor displays. We have used floor graphics and regional FSI's to promote new-item availability."
Old Orchard remains committed to the frozen juice category and intends to grow its brand and brand-share via expanded distribution and expanded sku assortment with current customers. "We intend to continue growing our brand share at the expense of other brands," maintains Saur. "We will accomplish this by offering retailers and consumers high-quality products at a more competitive price."
It may be called Old Orchard, but it has a new way of thinking about juice. "The frozen juice category has long been associated with orange juice, which is primarily a breakfast item with limited day-long consumption," says Saur. "While Old Orchard offers a frozen orange juice, the majority of our products are better suited to all-day consumption. Consumer trends and preferences are also changing and no other frozen juice producer is working harder than Old Orchard to meet their needs." —Renee Covino