What happened to the juicer guy?
Juicing was once all the rage, with companies like Juicero promising fresh, nutritious juice with the push of a button. But over time, the juicing craze has slowed down. Whatever happened to the much-hyped juicer companies and juice enthusiasts? Let’s take a look at the rise and fall of the juicing fad.
The Rise of Juicing
Juicing first started gaining popularity in the early 2010s, with proponents touting its health and weight loss benefits. Documentaries like Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead showcased people going on juice cleanses and losing dramatic amounts of weight. This generated a lot of buzz and interest in juicing and juice cleanses.
Seeing the opportunity, companies started marketing high-end juicers and juice subscription services. Brands like Juicero, Blueprint Cleanse, and Raw Generation promised the freshest, most nutritious juice possible with minimal effort. Juicero in particular made headlines for its $699 WiFi-connected juicer that used proprietary produce packs.
Juicing shops and cafes also started popping up in major cities like Los Angeles and New York City. These shops allowed customers to buy a wide variety of fresh juice blends to drink on the go. Many coffee shops and cafes started selling juice as well.
Between 2010 and 2015, juicing saw its peak popularity. Celebrities, health gurus, and everyday consumers jumped on the bandwagon, spending hundreds or even thousands of dollars on juicers, cleanses, and juice subscriptions. For a while, it seemed like juicing would become a permanent part of the health and wellness world.
The Downfall of Juicero
But over time, the luster around juicing started to wear off. One of the first warning signs was the downfall of Juicero in 2017. The company had raised over $100 million in funding, but it became the subject of controversy when it was revealed that their proprietary juice packs could be squeezed by hand without the $699 juicer.
| Year | Key Events |
|---|---|
| 2013 | Juicero founded |
| 2016 | $70 million funding round |
| 2017 | Juice packs revealed as squeezeable by hand |
| 2017 | Juicero shuts down |
This demonstrated that the expensive juicer was unnecessary – you could get the same juice just by squeezing the packs. Juicero shut down months later, laying off over 100 employees. The company was widely criticized for over-hyping their product and misleading consumers.
Other Juicing Companies Struggle
Juicero’s fall represented growing disillusionment with juicing companies. Consumers began questioning whether expensive juicers and subscriptions were really necessary. Many realized they could make their own fresh juice at home for a fraction of the cost without compromising too much on convenience or quality.
Other juicing companies struggled after Juicero’s demise. Blueprint Cleanse, which sold juice cleanses costing over $200 for 3 days, was acquired by Hain Celestial at a bargain price in late 2017. Organic Avenue, another New York-based juicing company, filed for bankruptcy in 2015. Droves of smaller juice shops and cafes went out of business as demand declined.
Even successful companies like Raw Generation felt the impact. In a 2019 interview, CEO Anaya Morris lamented how the juicing market had gotten oversaturated and led many consumers to feel burned out. While still profitable, growth was not living up to expectations.
Criticisms of Juice Cleanses
Another factor in juicing’s decline was growing skepticism about the health claims, especially around juice cleanses. Juice cleanses typically involve drinking only juice for up to a week while eliminating whole foods. Some criticisms emerged:
- Lack of protein, fiber, and healthy fat
- Hunger and low energy from drastic calorie reduction
- Limited long-term health benefits
- High cost for the small amounts of juice
While juice can be healthy in moderation, health experts began warning against prolonged cleanses. And without the appeal of dramatic health and weight loss promises, many people lost interest in juicing.
The Legacy of Juicing
While no longer a craze, juicing still maintains a niche appeal among health-conscious consumers. The market has stabilized, focusing more on juicing as part of a balanced diet instead of a miracle cure. Cold-pressed, high-end juices are still available, but at more reasonable prices.
Smaller brands like Pressed Juicery and Project Juice have found success catering to core fans of fresh juice. Larger companies like Whole Foods and Starbucks continue selling juice along with other offerings. Juicing is still a $2 billion market in the US, though growth has slowed significantly.
The juicing hype cycle provided valuable lessons about health fads and consumer technology. Companies like Juicero demonstrated that convenience and novelty alone cannot justify exorbitant price points. And consumers learned to be more skeptical of dramatic health claims not backed by science.
While juicing is no longer a must-have wellness trend, many people still use juicers or buy juice on occasion for a nutritious boost and variety in their diets. Juice bars have become staples in many gyms, cafes, and health food stores. Juicing brought fresh vegetable and fruit juice into the mainstream and made it more convenient than ever.
The juicing movement changed the health and wellness landscape. But ultimately it proved to be a fad that was unsustainable at such scale. Still, juicers remain popular appliances, and juicing lives on for those who find the benefits worth the time and cost.
Key Takeaways
- Juicing surged in popularity between 2010-2015 with pricey juicers and subscriptions.
- After the fall of Juicero, consumers lost interest in expensive juicing.
- Criticisms emerged about juice cleanses lacking nutrition and science backing.
- The market stabilized with juicing as part of balanced diets instead of a miracle cure.
- Juicing is now a niche market catering to core fans who find benefits worth the cost.