Sep 26 2012
From Superfruit to Superjuice?
What do the following have in common: Maqui berries, pomegranates, mangosteens, and now pitayas? They’re known as “superfruits.”
Enter Eric Helms, founder and CEO of Juice Generation. Five years ago, he began marketing mangosteens as an innovative, new superfruit. However, after a problem with the supplier led to many unsatisfied customers, he has now returned with exclusive import rights to a Nicaraguan fruit called pitaya.
Interestingly, there isn’t a clear definition of what requirements need to be met before being considered a superfruit. In fact, almost any fruit, including those seen on everyday grocery store shelves, could be considered one thanks to their various, unique nutritional properties. In other words, it’s a marketing term designed to appeal to consumers.
Helms, along with others in the juicing business, have found a point of parity with this term. Companies often claim that their fruits have miraculous properties like curing cancer (mangosteens, pomegranates) or weight loss (goji, acai) — yet upon further inspection, disclaimers say things such as “no clinical proof.”
Therefore, in this growing industry, marketing is the key to establishing points of difference, and we’ll have to wait and see how Helms’ new business venture turns out.
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