EMERYVILLE Calif. As part of a previously announced strategy to develop licensed products, Jamba Juice said Thursday it is lending its name to a line of frozen novelties, as well as a toy blender and ice pop maker aimed at kids.
The smoothie chain’s parent, Jamba Inc., on Thursday announced the two new alliances with licensees in what the company described as the first of several planned licensing initiatives underway.
The first, with Oregon Ice Cream, a Eugene, Ore.-based manufacturer that produces the Julie’s Organic and Alden’s Ice Cream brands, will result in a new Jamba Juice-branded line of better-for-you frozen novelties.
Asecond agreement, with New York-based Think Wow Toys, a division of WowWee U.S.A., is for the development of a Jamba-branded blender for kids to make smoothies at home, as well as an ice pop maker.
“We see a strong marketplace potential for Jamba-branded retail products, as well as an abundance of additional opportunities to leverage the overall health and wellness trend to create new revenue opportunities,” said Susan Shields, Jamba’s vice president of consumer products and licensing growth initiatives. “We have made significant progress against our goal of introducing great-tasting, healthy Jamba products to store shelves nationwide and are pleased to add Oregon Ice Cream and Think Wow Toys to our consumer packaged goods initiative.”
The licensing agreements are part of the company’s previously announced BLEND revitalization strategy, which also included cutting store-level spending, expanding food options, and more aggressively franchising nontraditional locations.
The new agreements are in addition to Jamba’s relationship with Nestle, which is developing ready-to-drink beverages under the Jamba brand for sale in grocery and other retail stores.
Based in Emeryville, Jamba operates and franchises about 733 smoothie store locations.
Contact Lisa Jennings at [email protected].