To Get Bigger, BluePrint Goes a Little Smaller

In a couple of significant moves for the company, BluePrint is set to launch a new line of 10 oz. bottles to its brand of high-pressure processed juice blends, and next month will open its first storefront in Venice, Calif. The latest news from BluePrint, which was acquired by Hain Celestial in December for a reported price of $25 million, comes amid a dramatic leap in awareness and demand for cold-pressed juices, as well as the introduction of a variety of similarly positioned brands over the past year.

BluePrint co-founder Erica Huss told BevNET that the new 10 oz. bottles will offer consumers greater variety and new ways to access the brand, which also markets a retail line of super-premium juices in 16 oz. bottles and direct-to-consumer juice cleanse products. Huss said that the new sizes will roll out next week as an exclusive at Whole Foods though declined to offer any details about the length of the agreement. However, she did note that the smaller sized bottles could potentially reach new retail channels for BluePrint’s juice products, which are primarily sold in natural food stores.

According to a BluePrint statement about the new products, the smaller sized offerings were “created to connect with a wider consumer base by offering more options both from a palate and health-driven perspective,” particularly as an “on-the-go beverage” or meal pairing. Nevertheless, Huss said that the company would not be prescriptive as to a specific use occasion for the new juices, rather she said more choice on the shelf would encourage consumers to “make a decision for what their needs are.”

The 10 oz. varieties, which BluePrint announced last week via its Facebook page, will initially come in three new flavors for the brand: Carrot Lemon, Kale Apple Lemon, and Orange Grapefruit Lemon.  The new products also come with a tweak in packaging: BluePrint swapped out the word “unpasteurized” in favor of “cold pressed” on its labels.

The juices will have a suggested price of $5.99, a price point more in line with Evolution Fresh juice products, which are also high-pressure processed. The Starbucks-owned brand sells a variety of juice blends in 16 oz. bottles that are priced from approximately $4 to $6. By comparison, BluePrint’s 16 oz. bottled juices retail for $7 to $11.

While it’s likely that most BluePrint products will be sold in the company’s new storefront, Huss declined to say whether the new venture will bear any similarity to the four retail juice stores that Evolution Fresh has launched since March 2012. In addition to its bottled products, Evolution Fresh stores sell juice smoothies and some food items. Despite her unwillingness to share any details about the new Blueprint store, Huss said that the company would look to give something unique to consumers in the Los Angeles area. Huss noted that BluePrint’s decision to open its first store in L.A. would plant a flag in the company’s second largest market and further demonstrate its status as a national brand.

As to BluePrint’s management under Hain Celestial, Huss said that the natural foods conglomerate had been “meeting, if not exceeding” the expectations that she and co-founder Zoe Sakoutis has foreseen following’s Hain’s acquisition of the company. Huss noted that distribution of the brand has since become more streamlined, and BluePrint is continuing to follow “the path we set out for ourselves,” with a focus on solidifying its presence on shelf via constant demoing, particularly at Whole Foods, the largest retailer of the brand. The strategy appears to be working. In a recent interview, Hain Celestial CEO Irwin Simon told Forbes that after reaching $20 million in revenues last year, he expects BluePrint to do $50 million in revenues by the end of 2013 and reach $100 million in 2014.