Minute Maid

Product Type:Juice: Juice Drink; Container: 12 oz PET
BevNET Review: Minute Maid’s Enhanced Pomegranate Lemonade is a 12 percent juice blend that has added antioxidants in the form of vitamins C and E. From a flavor point of view, the product is just okay, with the use of high fructose corn syrup giving the product a slightly heavy mouth feel and a sugary note to the finish. The lemon flavor is pleasant, although there’s something about the pomegranate flavor that tastes more like flavorings than the actual juice. Perhaps that’s the added natural flavors getting in the way – it’s hard to say. Nutritionally, having 150 percent RDA of vitamin C and 30% RDA of vitamin E seems pretty weak, at least in comparison to the countless other vitamin fortified beverages that are on the market today. Packaging is colorful and bright, with a full shrink wrap label covering the entire bottle. Not being able to see the liquid is going to be a bit of an issue, especially when placed next to brands like Odwalla and Naked that allow the consumer to see what they are buying. In addition, they’ve cluttered up the front panel with too much text, starting with the flavor name, which is found in both the middle and at the bottom of the label. Less is more, and we think they’d benefit from making the brand’s messaging more succinct. Overall, this product is purely average for us, with a lack of a compelling reason to buy this over the competition, unless they price it accordingly.Reviewed on: 4/30/2010

Product Type:Juice: Juice Drink; Container: 12 oz PET
BevNET Review: The Strawberry Kiwi variety of Minute Maid’s Enhanced Juice Drinks is a 27 percent juice blend of pear, strawberry, and kiwi juices, with added sugar and natural flavors. Functionally, the product has between 37 and 43 mg of caffeine, which is naturally derived from added yerba mate and caffeine from coffee beans. In terms of flavor, it’s pleasant, although the fruit flavors seem to lack balance, with a sugary flavor giving way to a very tart note at the finish. There’s also a slight functional note to the finish, which, while not a negative, is worth noting. On the outside, we think that the “Natural Energy” call-out is perfect for what this product is all about. Plus, it’s the most marketable function of the current lineup. In addition, this flavor’s label has the least amount of text of the line, which makes it less cluttered and, therefore, more appealing to the eye. Overall, the flavor is good, but could be better, and the function is certainly a marketable one.Reviewed on: 4/30/2010

Product Type:Juice: Juice Drink; Container: 12 oz PET
BevNET Review: Using a 100 percent juice blend, including apple, grape, pomegranate, blueberry, and raspberry, this variety of Minute Maid’s Enhanced Juices is the clear winner in terms of flavor. They haven’t added any sweeteners to the mix, allowing the natural sugars in the fruit juices to perform the task of giving the product its sweet, but tart, flavor. If anything, there’s probably a bit too much grape in the mix. Functionally, they’ve added choline, DHEA, vitamin B12, vitamin C, and vitamin E to the mix, creating something that appears to be a bit deeper than the other two flavors (To make our point, this product contains the same levels of vitamin C and E as the Pomegranate Lemonade Antioxidant variety PLUS it has DHA and Choline). Still, we think there’s a bit of a marketability issue for this product, whose “Nourish your brain” function is likely to seem more abstract than the antioxidant and energy functions of the other two flavors. Overall, it’s the nicest tasting of the bunch, but we think they’ll need to make the pitch less abstract for this flavor to be a successful part of the brand.Reviewed on: 4/30/2010