DENVER - Craving a new smoothie flavor? Twelve Denver-area high school students have got you covered with their unique creation cleverly dubbed "Berry Smart."
The students were given the opportunity to create their own flavor in the Junior Achievement Rocky Mountain Business Week program. The program collaborated with Jamba Juice to help the students market a plan for "Berry Smart." Jamba Juice has supported JA- Rocky Mountain since 2009, providing both financial and volunteer support to offer JA programs in classrooms.
JA Business Week is a one-week test run in business for high-school students held annually in June. The students participating in the program set up camp at Johnson & Wales University and worked with local companies including Jamba Juice.
The students work with the companies "apprentice-style" -developing their products while learning how these companies got their start and how the students' futures relate.
The 12th annual JA Business Week drew 172 students from 54 Colorado high schools.
Ten student companies competed to develop a winning flavor while working under Jamba Juice guidelines for their products. Jamba Juice executives provided students with guidance in mastering the "five Ps" of marketing: product, price, place, promotion and people. Jamba Juice leaders say that interacting with students through JA programs helps them better understand their employees and customers.
Student companies created flavors, weighed the pros and cons of various ingredients, came up with names, slogans and marketing plans for their new flavors and ran taste tests for their new flavors during visits to Jamba Juice stores.
Many dedicated Jamba Juicers are asking, "What is the winning flavor 'Berry Smart' made of anyway?" Berry Smart is a combination of mango, blueberry, strawberry, apple juice, mixed-berry juice and coconut water.
Berry Smart can be found in all 15 Jamba Juice locations throughout Colorado during September. The students will receive 20 percent of the profits generated from sales of Berry Smart, which has been dubbed "the best school supply yet."
Leonardo Wolfson contributed to this report.
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