Genius Coconut Smoothies (Discontinued)

Vanilla Cinnamon is the latest flavor to be added to Genius lineup of whole coconut smoothies. Like the other two SKUs, the product is USDA certified organic, 100% plant-based and features a very clean list of ingredients.

The product has four ingredients: coconut water, coconut meat, vanilla extract and cinnamon powder. Each 10 ounce bottle contains 150 calories, 7 grams of fat, 16 grams of sugar (all from the coconut), 3 grams of fiber, 5 grams of protein, calcium, 4.3 grams of MCTs, and electrolytes. 

Compared with other meal replacement products that are presently on the market, this product has one of the cleanest ingredient lists that you’ll find in the category -- this is definitely one of the product’s core strengths.

When it comes to flavor, we think that vanilla and cinnamon will be, for most drinkers, welcome additions that help cut the pure unadulterated coconut flavor of the Original variety. These flavors add complexity and balance that simply isn’t there in Original and, as a result, this is a much more refined product. In some ways, this feels like the flavor that should be the flagship as it probably has the most broad potential of any Genius flavor that we’ve tried to date.

On the outside, the design of the packaging follows the same format as the other two SKUs. The slim 10 ounce bottle has a full wrap label that features a white background on the top and a red background on the lower half. The illustrated design is both polished and, thanks to the coconut character that sits in the middle, playful and fun. 

Overall, Vanilla Cinnamon is a solid addition to the Genius lineup. We think it’s their best effort so far and should serve to help expand their consumer base.

Genius, which is a USDA Organic certified coconut smoothie, recently extended its line to include two new flavors: Coffee and Turmeric.

At their core, both of these products build upon the same coconut smoothie base as the original. Packaged in clear 10 oz. bottles, each flavor starts with coconut water and coconut meat, which have been blended together to create a rich yet smooth base that’s loaded with coconut flavor.

Both these flavors are made with real ingredients: coffee extract in the case of the Coffee and turmeric, ginger, and cardamom for Turmeric.

As far as the flavor goes, we found the Turmeric variety to be much more successful than the Coffee variety. We really enjoyed the layers of spice that they’ve created and you can taste each of the three spices. More importantly, these flavors enhance the underlying coconut smoothie and helps make it more approachable than the pure offering.

Coffee, on the other hand, struggles a bit. For our palates, the added coffee flavor is just too strong and tastes like extract. We’re not sure if the solution is to adjust the amount of coffee flavor or to change the ingredient they are using, but it definitely needs something.

On the branding and packaging side of things, we like the way that these new flavors look alongside the flagship offering. Plus, they give the Genius brand some much needed depth, both in terms of the variety offered and color with the addition of an orange label (Turmeric) and brown label (Coffee).

The labels for all three products are intuitive, eye catching, and playful in their approach. This starts with the Genius logo, which is a coconut that’s been personified into an Einstein like character. From there, large block lettering, which says “WHOLE COCONUT SMOOTHIE,” is straight and to the point.

In the end, we like the idea of Genius extending its line to include additional SKUs. It seems like the right approach to expanding the audience beyond those consumers who like a pure coconut drink. However, there’s definitely some work left to be done, at least with the Coffee variety.

Original Coconut Smoothie is the latest from Genius Juice, a company that has been through a series of pivots within their product portfolio. Announced back in August, Genius Coconut Smoothie is a throwback to the company’s original product offering.

The product, which is USDA Organic certified, is a blend of coconut water and coconut meat. These two ingredients have been blended together (without any added sugars -- a point of differentiation against many coconut water products) into a thick and creamy “smoothie.” Being made exclusively with coconut might make you think that Genius has an intense flavor, but it doesn’t. Instead, it’s mellow and smooth and has less sweetness (and sugar per ounce) than a comparable coconut water. There’s also a slightly savory note to it, which goes nicely with the viscous liquid.

On the nutritional end, the product has 2g of protein and 2g of fiber highlighted as its key benefits. It’s lower in electrolytes than straight coconut water, but it does have more sustenance to it (along with 120 calories and 4.5g of fat) which is certainly a plus.

Packaging is a 12 oz. wrapped plastic bottle. It’s more squat and compact looking than some of their previous efforts, but it also feels more substantial in your hand. The label is a nice evolution of what they’ve done in the past, with the Genius “head” logo and green as an accent color. It’s readable, clean, and does a nice job of calling out the benefits.

Putting all of this together, we feel as though this is a step in the right direction for Genius. However, we wonder if getting in on the whole coconut / MCT oil game wouldn’t be something that would further boost what Genius is offering and make the product more marketable.

Beyond that, we wonder about the approach of going with a single SKU. On the one hand, it doesn’t offer anything in the way of variety and, unlike coconut water where consumers who are into it drink a lot of it, this seems like a product that has a more narrow use occasion. On the other hand, both Genius (in its past efforts) and the coconut water category have proven that unflavored sells best. Both of these things being said, it’s hard to understand what sort of legs there are to a single SKU coconut smoothie brand.

All in all, we think that Genius is taking the right step by refocusing on a pure coconut offering. The execution of both the flavor and packaging is solid, with our only concern being if this is still too limited of a niche.

Having originally started as a line of coconut-based juices before eventually morphing into a line of coconut smoothies, Genius is no stranger to innovating and evolving their product lineup and branding. But their latest retrench is the most drastic yet: Genius is no longer a coconut-based beverage.

Instead, the company has recast its product line as a line of USDA Organic “Superfood Smoothies.” The product focus is now on protein content (12g per bottle), which comes from some of the product’s dairy-free ingredients such as pea protein and quinoa powder. In addition, the product features almond milk, maca powder, oats, coconut syrup and coconut sugar (the only remaining coconut ingredients).

On the surface, adding “superfood” and touting the product’s protein content seems like something that casts a wider net for Genius. However, there will be a challenge -- although it’s hard to tell if it’s a large or small one -- when it comes to reeducating existing retailers and consumers.

Part of this is due to the fact that the packaging hasn’t changed all that much -- the design is largely the same as what they had with their last round of coconut smoothies. With this design, which features a playful and bold look that definitely catches the eye, it would be hard to justify another overhaul.

From a taste perspective, the experience of these new products is completely different from anything that Genius has produced before. All three flavors are rich and smooth, with a heavy oat flavor. There’s a mild amount of sweetness and a touch of salt, while the pea protein is something that you can really only taste at the finish. We’ll admit that these flavors took a few sips to get used to, but we found them enjoyable as we continued to drink them.

However, when it comes to their choice of flavorings and the execution of them, there’s still some work to do. This starts with the Original variety, which is so similar to the Vanilla (it even contains vanilla extract) that it seems somewhat unnecessary. Replacing this with Chocolate, which is the obvious flavor missing from the bunch, would really help. As for the Vanilla and Coffee varieties, they are much more along the lines of where the flavor should be, although further dialing up their flavorings would really help. In the end, the Vanilla variety was the clear winner for us.

Genius, which was formerly known as Genius Juice while hanging its hat on the use of high pressure processing (HPP), has taken a slightly different direction with the company’s latest effort. Now labeled as a “coconut smoothie” and using pasteurization, the product has a more grown up and focused feel (Note: read our full story on the switch -- “Amid a Surge in Distribution, Genius Juice Gets a New Look”).

The product line will eventually feature three flavors: Original, Coffee, and Vanilla. For now, only the Original is available, so that’s what we’re taking a look at today.

The product’s ingredient list is super simple, containing only organic coconut water and organic coconut meat. And what you see is what you get: this product tastes just like what you’d get if you blended the water and meat of the coconut. It’s a big step up from their original offering, which contained coconut milk as an additional ingredient, and it seems like it’s cleaner and a bit smoother than what we remember of their last HPP effort.

From a packaging perspective, the new green label more effectively catches the eye than their prior efforts. You are almost immediately drawn to the “Original Coconut Smoothie,” which is both the flavor name and the descriptor of what’s inside the bottle. Otherwise, they’ve done a nice job of integrating the USDA Organic seal and callouts for the key nutritional benefits (6g of protein and 4g of fiber).

As for dropping “juice” from the name and just calling it “Genius,” we have mixed feelings on that. On the one hand, it’s simpler and less confusing in that coconut smoothies are not going to be viewed as juices by the consumer. On the other hand, it feels that much harder for the company to own “Genius” without another word following it.

Lastly, the one thing that feels as though it’s missing is something that speaks directly to the “why?” of the product. Will consumers drink this because they’re crazy about coconuts? Or is it for the dairy free protein and fiber? From our perspective, connecting the dots a bit more would be helpful in terms of establishing the brand.

Overall, the latest version of Genius feels like a reboot that was somewhat necessary for the brand to make a bigger push. And while the product itself feels improved compared to past efforts, the market around it (namely the super premium juice and smoothie space that’s still HPP heavy when it comes to innovation) has evolved and become more challenging such that our rating for the product is slightly lower this time around.