Odwalla introduces new and nourishing B-Liscious Blueberry B Monster juice

New blue juice from America's most popular natural health beverage brand zooms to top-seller status Anaheim, CA, March 06, 2003 - Consumer interest in nutritionally enhanced and functional beverages continues to rise, a trend illustrated by the many beverage options offered by Odwalla (pronounced "Oh-dwa-la") at the annual Natural Products Expo-West at the Anaheim Convention Center. Among its over two-dozen product offerings, Odwalla starred its recently introduced Blueberry B Monster® fruit juice blend, which has quickly become a top-seller for America's leading natural health beverage brand. "We've got a hit on our hands," noted Mike Scheu, Odwalla brand manager, as convention goers sampled Blueberry B Monster. "With a half cup of blueberries in every bottle, consumers are as excited about the great berry taste as they are about a convenient, delicious way to consume B vitamins, which are a vital part of a healthy diet," said Scheu. "Although it was only recently introduced, Blueberry B Monster has already become one of the top sellers in the Odwalla line-up." B Yourself: Drink It and Thrive® Barr Hogen, Odwalla's health and wellness chef and creator of Blueberry B Monster, explained that the purple-blue beverage's unique, new flavor blend and nutritional benefits make perfect sense. "Creating Blueberry B Monster was simple, because I knew I wanted to combine gorgeous, natural color that really shouts from the refrigerator shelf with a fabulous flavor blend that dances in your mouth - all with the benefits of B vitamins," she explained. "As a chef who's always focused on health and wellness, I know that juices are a convenient, flavorful and hydrating form of natural nutrition." Antioxidant-rich Blueberry B Monster is a blast of flavorful blueberry puree, assorted fruit juices, and mango and banana purees. The blue juice blend is then boosted with an array of B vitamins, including thiamin (vitamin B1), riboflavin (vitamin B2), niacin, vitamin B6, vitamin B12, biotin and pantothenic acid. When it comes to good nutrition, B vitamins are important for maintaining everyday health and metabolism. Odwalla offers Blueberry B Monster in 450-ml. (15.2-fl.-oz.) single-serve recyclable plastic bottles. Suggested retail price for Blueberry B Monster is $2.99. This new Monster is available across the country where over two-dozen other nourishing Odwalla beverages are sold. Thousands of supermarkets, quick-serve restaurants and natural foods stores provide consumers with their favorite Odwalla juices. Odwalla juices can be found in "Odwalla Zones," custom-created coolers that are alive with the living flavor of Odwalla juices and the living color of Odwalla's unique graphics and logo. All Odwalla products are artfully made and wrapped in unique, brightly colored labels. Odwalla is famous for its quirky product names. The Blueberry B Monster™ is a natural extension of Odwalla's very successful C Monster™ and Strawberry C Monster drinks, which combine the taste and health of fruit juices and purees with meaningful doses of Vitamin C. It joins such favorites as Mo' Beta®, Femme Vitale®, Superfood™, Serious Energy and Glorious Morning™. And, like all other Odwalla juices, B Monster is flash pasteurized to help ensure fresh-from-the-field flavor and food safety.