Odwalla

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American food product company

title: "Odwalla" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["drink-companies-based-in-california", "american-companies-established-in-1980", "food-and-drink-companies-established-in-1980", "1980-establishments-in-california", "food-recalls", "companies-based-in-san-mateo-county,-california", "companies-based-in-tulare-county,-california", "2020-disestablishments-in-california", "coca-cola-brands", "products-introduced-in-1980", "1993-initial-public-offerings", "companies-formerly-listed-on-the-nasdaq", "products-and-services-discontinued-in-2020", "companies-disestablished-due-to-the-covid-19-pandemic", "2001-mergers-and-acquisitions", "coca-cola-acquisitions", "juice-brands", "half-moon-bay,-california", "food-and-drink-companies-disestablished-in-2020"] description: "American food product company" topic_path: "geography/united-states" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Odwalla" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary American food product company ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox company"]

FieldValue
nameOdwalla Inc.
typeSubsidiary
foundation, in Santa Cruz, California, U.S.
founder
locationHalf Moon Bay, California, U.S.
area_servedUnited States
key_people
industryConsumer products
productsDrinks, food bars
revenueUS$187.9 million (2007)
num_employees900
parentFull Sail IP Partners
homepage
::

| name = Odwalla Inc. | logo = | type = Subsidiary | genre = | foundation = , in Santa Cruz, California, U.S. | founder = | defunct = | location_city = | location = Half Moon Bay, California, U.S. | locations = | area_served = United States | key_people = | industry = Consumer products | products = Drinks, food bars | services = | market cap = | revenue = US$187.9 million (2007) | operating_income = | net_income = | assets = | equity = | owner = | num_employees = 900 | parent = Full Sail IP Partners | divisions = | subsid = | homepage = | footnotes = | intl =

Odwalla Inc. () is an American health food company based in Dinuba, California. Founded in Santa Cruz, California in 1980 and formerly headquartered in Half Moon Bay, California from 1995 to 2013, the company's product lines included fruit juices, smoothies, soy milk, bottled water, organic beverages, and several types of energy bars known as "food bars".

The company experienced strong growth after its incorporation in 1985, expanding its distribution network from California to most of North America, and went public in 1993.

Odwalla juice caused a fatal outbreak of E. coli O157:H7 in 1996 because of numerous flaws in its safety practices, for which the company was found criminally liable. Despite industry norms, Odwalla originally sold unpasteurized juices, to avoid altering the flavor of its juices. Following the E. coli (Escherichia coli) outbreak and the death of at least one child, Odwalla adopted flash pasteurization and other sanitization procedures. Odwalla recalled its juices and experienced a 90% reduction in sales following the event. The company gradually recovered and, the following year, became profitable again.

In 2001, Odwalla was acquired by The Coca-Cola Company for US$181 million and became a wholly owned subsidiary. In July 2020, Coca-Cola announced it would discontinue the Odwalla brand by August 2020. The brand was sold to Full Sail IP Partners in 2021. In January 2025, Mexican beverage company Grupo Jumex began a partnership with Full Sail IP Partners and relaunched the brand.

History

Origin

Odwalla was founded in Santa Cruz, California, in 1980 by Greg Steltenpohl, Gerry Percy, and Bonnie Bassett.{{cite press release | title = Odwalla Inc. 10-K405 | publisher = Odwalla Inc. | date = 1996-08-31 | url = http://www.secinfo.com/dr6nd.92V1.htm | access-date = 2008-08-20 |url= http://www.bevindustry.com/articles/odwalla-growwing-naturally |title= Odwalla: Growwing [sic] Naturally |date=2006-03-01|access-date= 2008-08-18 |work= Beverage Industry

The name for their start-up, "Odwalla", was taken from that of a character who guided "the people of the sun" out of the "gray haze" in the song-poem "Illistrum", a favorite of the founders, which was composed by Roscoe Mitchell and performed by the Art Ensemble of Chicago jazz group, of which Mitchell was a member.{{cite news |url=http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1154/is_n2_v82/ai_14981633/ |title=Freshness by the bottle — Odwalla Inc. |access-date=2008-08-07 |author=Kaufman, Steven B. |date=February 1994 |work=Nation's Business |publisher=BNET |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090203035130/http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1154/is_n2_v82/ai_14981633 |archive-date=2009-02-03

Incorporation to 1996

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1f/Odwalla_HQ.JPG" caption="The former headquarters of Odwalla Inc. in [[Half Moon Bay, California"] ::

Odwalla was incorporated in September 1985 after five years of growth and expanded to sell products in San Francisco in 1988. Hambrecht & Quist Inc., a venture capital firm in San Francisco, was one of Odwalla's main investors at the time, investing several million dollars in the company. By 1992, the company employed 80 people at its company headquarters in Davenport, California, and sold around 20 different flavors of juice for between $1.50 and $2.00 a pint. Odwalla went public in December 1993 (NASDAQ:ODWA); the company had 35 delivery trucks, almost 200 employees, and made about $13 million a year. Soon afterwards, Odwalla expanded into new markets when it bought two companies in the Pacific Northwest and Colorado.

Odwalla built a new production facility located in Dinuba, California, in 1994 in order to better meet production demands. The following year, the company moved its headquarters to Half Moon Bay, California.

Continual growth and outside investments during these years allowed the company to expand and grow: Odwalla's revenue tripled from 1994 to 1995, and in 1996 they made more than $59 million in sales, their highest ever. This constant growth made Odwalla one of the largest fresh-juice companies in America by 1996, when the company was selling its products to stores in seven states and parts of Canada. It was estimated that they would reach $100 million in sales by 1999. Much of this growth resulted from the perception that Odwalla's products were healthier than regular juice because they were not pasteurized.

1997 - 2001

On October 7, 1996, Odwalla made a batch of apple juice using blemished fruit contaminated with E. coli resulting in one death and 66 sickened customers. The outbreak occurred because Odwalla sold unpasteurized fruit juices, though pasteurization had long been standard in the juice industry, claiming that pasteurization alters the flavor and destroys nutrients. Because of the lack of pasteurization and numerous other flaws in its safety practices, the company was charged with 16 criminal counts of distributing adulterated juice. Odwalla pleaded guilty, and was fined $1.5 million: at the time, the most significant penalty in a food poisoning case in the United States.

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a5/Odwalla_future_shake.jpg" caption="A bottle of Odwalla Future Shake"] ::

Despite a net loss for most of 1997, Odwalla worked to rehabilitate its brand name. In addition to advertising its new safety procedures, Odwalla released its line of food bars (its first solid food product line) and entered the $900 million fruit bar market.{{cite news |url= http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-56974164.html |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20150329163923/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-56974164.html |url-status= dead |archive-date= 2015-03-29 |title= Juice maker Odwalla, Inc |access-date= 2008-08-18 |date= 1998-09-14 |work= Food & Drink Weekly | title = Agreement Reached Between Odwalla, Inc. and U.S. Attorney in Fresno, CA. | publisher = Odwalla Inc. | date = 1998-07-23 | url = http://www.secinfo.com/dsVSa.71A5.d.htm | access-date = 2008-08-19

Having recovered, the company worked to expand geographically into markets like Philadelphia and Washington, D.C.,{{cite press release | title = Odwalla Inc. 10-K405 | publisher = Odwalla Inc. | date = 1998-08-29 | url = http://www.secinfo.com/dsVSa.71S3.htm | access-date = 2008-09-10 |url=http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0EIN/is_1999_July_1/ai_55049958 |title=Odwalla Sales Increase 24%, Fiscal Year 1999 Momentum Continues; Odwalla Enters Atlanta Market As Geographic Growth Continues |access-date=2008-08-18 |date=1999-07-01 |work=Business Wire |publisher=BNET |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090203035004/http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0EIN/is_1999_July_1/ai_55049958 |archive-date=2009-02-03 |url=http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0EIN/is_2000_July_6/ai_63179563 |title=Odwalla Announces Return to Profitability; Odwalla and Fresh Samantha Merger Completed in May |access-date=2008-08-18 |date=2000-07-06 |work=Business Wire |publisher=BNET |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090203034136/http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0EIN/is_2000_July_6/ai_63179563 |archive-date=2009-02-03 |url=http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0EIN/is_2000_May_3/ai_61875835 |title=Odwalla Completes Merger With Fresh Samantha |access-date=2008-08-18 |date=2000-05-03 |work=Business Wire |publisher=BNET |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090203034141/http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0EIN/is_2000_May_3/ai_61875835 |archive-date=2009-02-03 | title = Annual Report Form 10-K | publisher = Odwalla Inc. | date = 2001-09-01 | url = http://www.secinfo.com/dsVSa.4FA3s.htm | access-date = 2008-08-20 | archive-date = 2020-01-01 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20200101065658/http://www.secinfo.com/dsVSa.4FA3s.htm | url-status = dead |url= http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-6965664.html |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20160210132148/https://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-6965664.html |url-status= dead |archive-date= 2016-02-10 |title= Odwalla drops Fresh Samantha |access-date= 2008-08-18 |date= 2003-07-30 |work= Oakland Tribune |url= http://www.accessmylibrary.com/coms2/summary_0286-7005138_ITM |title= Half Moon Bay, Calif.-Based Odwalla to End Its Fresh Samantha Juice Line |access-date= 2008-08-18 |author= Salisbury, Susan |date= 2003-08-04 |work=Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News}} Odwalla produced and sold products under both its own and the Fresh Samantha brand names for a few years; however, in 2003, the company decided to stop selling juice under the Fresh Samantha name and to only sell Odwalla-brand juice.{{cite web |url = http://www.fool.com/ddouble/2000/ddouble001127.htm |title = Odwalla Gets Juiced Up |access-date = 2008-08-11 |author = Munarriz, Rick Aristotle |date = 2000-11-27 |publisher = The Motley Fool |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20081005135647/http://www.fool.com/ddouble/2000/ddouble001127.htm |archive-date = 2008-10-05

2001 - 2020

Odwalla was purchased by The Coca-Cola Company in 2001 for $15.25 a share, a deal which totalled $181 million and was unanimously approved by the Odwalla board of directors.{{cite press release | title = EX-99.(A)(2) · Letter to Shareholders | publisher = Odwalla Inc. | date = 2001-11-06 | url = http://www.secinfo.com/dsVSa.4F9S9.c.htm | access-date = 2008-08-20 |url= https://archive.seattletimes.com/archive/20011031/cokeodwalla310/to-juice-up-its-offerings-coke-buys-odwalla |title= To juice up its offerings, Coke buys Odwalla |access-date= 2008-08-08 |author= McClam, Erin |date= 2001-10-31 |work= The Seattle Times}} Under the terms of the merger, Odwalla's management stayed on as heads of the company, and it was "folded" into Coca-Cola's Minute Maid department.{{cite web |url = http://www.fool.com/news/foolplate/2001/foolplate011030.htm?terms=odwalla&vstest=search_042607_linkdefault |title = Coke Swallows Odwalla |access-date = 2008-08-11 |author = Marino-Nachison, Dave |date = 2001-10-30 |publisher = The Motley Fool |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090203073245/http://www.fool.com/news/foolplate/2001/foolplate011030.htm?terms=odwalla&vstest=search_042607_linkdefault |archive-date = 2009-02-03 |url= http://www.businessweek.com/investor/content/oct2001/pi20011022_7264.htm?chan=search |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20090203033450/http://www.businessweek.com/investor/content/oct2001/pi20011022_7264.htm?chan=search |url-status= dead |archive-date= February 3, 2009 |title= Tucker Anthony Reiterates Buy on Coca-Cola |access-date= 2008-08-11 |date= 2001-10-22 |work= BusinessWeek}}{{cite news |url=http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0FNP/is_21_41/ai_94327778 |title=New Age drinks go mainstream: mega manufacturers betting trend is more than passing phase |access-date=2008-08-18 |author=Duff, Mike |date=2002-11-11 |work=DSN Retailing Today |publisher=BNET |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090203034207/http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0FNP/is_21_41/ai_94327778 |archive-date=2009-02-03

Odwalla continued to grow following the acquisition. This growth resulted in part from new product releases, which included a line of PomaGrand pomegranate juice (released at the 2006 Sundance Film Festival), two flavors of energy drinks, and three flavors of "Soy Smart" drinks, which contain soy protein, omega-3 fatty acids, and calcium.{{cite web |url= http://www.bevindustry.com/articles/healthful-beverages-to-watch-in-2007 |title= Healthful Beverages to Watch in 2007 |access-date= 2008-08-07 |work= Beverage Industry |date=2007-02-01}}

Coca-Cola promoted Odwalla products in 2006 when the company aimed at removing carbonated soda products in schools.{{cite web |url= http://www.fool.com/investing/value/2006/05/11/dueling-fools-coke-bull.aspx |title= Dueling Fools: Coke Bull |access-date= 2008-08-11 |author= Saletta, Chuck |date= 2006-05-11 |publisher= The Motley Fool}} Odwalla continued to have good growth in 2007, when Coca-Cola, squeezed by poor growth in its North American markets, issued a company-wide hiring freeze; Odwalla, because of its good performance, was one of the few exceptions to the rule.

2020 - today

In July 2020, Coca-Cola announced the permanent discontinuation of all Odwalla products, due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the brand not having shown growth in three consecutive years (a subset of the corporation's which comprise less than 2% of its total revenue). Coca-Cola sold the brand to Full Sail IP Partners in 2021. Its headquarters was relocated to its production facility in Dinuba, California, some time in the early 2020s.

In January 2025, Mexican beverage company Jumex announced a partnership with Full Sail IP Partners in which Jumex would handle manufacturing. The brand was relaunched that year.

Production

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/50/Odwalla_display_stand_grocerystore.JPG" caption="A refrigerated Odwalla display case at a grocery store; Odwalla used these cases to increase its products' visibility."] ::

Odwalla used what it characterized as "fresh-sourced" produce (fruits and vegetables that had recently been harvested) to make many of its products, as well as organic oats for food bars and certain tropical fruits in a frozen purée form, purchased from an outside source and blended with fruit juice. Because Odwalla used fresh produce, some juices were seasonal.{{cite news |url=http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m3289/is_n5_v163/ai_15433389 |title=Beverages turn icy … and steamy - beverage sales - New Food Products Annual - Industry Overview |access-date=2008-08-18 |author=Dornblaster, Lynn |date=1994-04-15 |work=Prepared Foods |publisher=BNET |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090203035526/http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m3289/is_n5_v163/ai_15433389 |archive-date=2009-02-03 |url=http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0EIN/is_1999_Dec_20/ai_58307855 |title=Season's Squeezings from Odwalla: 100% Pure Squeezed Tangerine Juice; Now's the Time for Tangerine |access-date=2008-08-20 |date=1999-12-20 |work=Business Wire |publisher=BNET |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090203035000/http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0EIN/is_1999_Dec_20/ai_58307855 |archive-date=2009-02-03

After the E. coli outbreak, Odwalla improved the safety of several of its production processes. Before the fruit entered the factory, it was washed, sorted and sanitized. Once it reached the plant, the apples, carrots, and citrus fruits were separated and washed again. The fruit was pressed to get the juice, which was then flash pasteurized and bottled.{{cite web |url=http://iac.rutgers.edu/redirect.php?rf=SF0244CaseStudy |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090203102034/http://iac.rutgers.edu/redirect.php?rf=SF0244CaseStudy |url-status=dead |archive-date=2009-02-03 |title=Food Manufacturing Industrial Assessment |access-date=2008-08-20 |date=2002-06-13 |format=PDF |publisher=U.S. Department of Energy

Products

Drinks

Odwalla Inc. produced many flavors of fruit and vegetable drinks, as well as dairy-free soy milk (marketed under the "Soy Smart" name), "PomaGrand" pomegranate juice, "Serious Energy" caffeinated fruit juice,{{cite web |url=http://www.csnews.com/csn/products/pack_bev/product_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003650160 |title=Odwalla Serious Energy |access-date=2008-08-20 |date=2008-08-25 |work=Convenience Store News |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090203041617/http://www.csnews.com/csn/products/pack_bev/product_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003650160 |archive-date=2009-02-03 Odwalla juice was sold in individual 12 fl oz (formerly 450 millilitre or 15.4 US fl oz) bottles made of plant-based recyclable HDPE plastic, as well as larger 64 US fluid ounce (1.9 litre) containers.{{cite web |url=http://www.csnews.com/csn/search/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1002155178 |title=Odwalla's PomaGrand Juices |access-date=2008-08-26 |date=2006-03-13 |work=Convenience Store News |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090203041723/http://www.csnews.com/csn/search/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1002155178 |archive-date=2009-02-03 Odwalla's juice, because of production costs, was "typically sold at prices higher than most other juice products", and the price of the juice could vary over time because of weather or disease affecting the supply of fruit and vegetables.

Odwalla's sugar content could be even higher than Coca-Cola's. For example, Odwalla's "Mango Tango" had 3.67 grams of sugar per ounce—almost 1 full teaspoon of sugar in every ounce of juice. Coca-Cola contains 3.25 grams of sugar per ounce. This translates to 44 grams of sugar (nearly four tablespoons) in a 12-ounce "Mango Tango" versus 39 grams of sugar in a 12-ounce Coke.

Throughout its history, Odwalla produced and subsequently withdrew various juice flavors due to their lower popularity, including the Odwalla Superfood Amazing Purple,{{cite news |url= http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-143161190.html |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20160210132148/https://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-143161190.html |url-status= dead |archive-date= 2016-02-10 |title= Royal Treatment from Odwalla |access-date= 2008-08-07 |author=Toops, Diane |date=February 2006 |work= Food Processing

Food bars

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6b/Odwalla_Food_Bars.JPG" caption="A box of Banana Nut bars and two Chocolate Chip Protein bars"] ::

In September 1998, Odwalla began to sell energy bars made with fruit and grains, called food bars, as an alternative to its drinks in an attempt to raise revenue following the 1996 E. coli outbreak. The first three flavors released were Cranberry Citrus, Organic Carrot & Raisin, and Peach Crunch. Within eight weeks of their release, the Odwalla Bar was one of the top-selling energy bar brands in the market. The bars came in a variety of flavors, and weighed 2 oz per bar. As of 2001, before Odwalla was acquired by Coca-Cola, food bars accounted for less than five percent of Odwalla's revenue.

References

References

  1. (2008). "Odwalla Inc. Company Profile". Yahoo Finance.
  2. Gerke, Grant. (May 14, 2025). "Odwalla makes a comeback with a clean-label slate".
  3. Holland, Fiona. (January 9, 2025). "Fruit juice brand Odwalla returns to market".
  4. (July 2, 2020). "Coca-Cola is shutting down Odwalla juice". CNN.
  5. (15 September 2021). "Full Sail IP Partners acquires Odwalla from The Coca-Cola Company". FoodBev Media.
  6. (2008). "History". Hoovers.com.
  7. Groves, Martha. (1997-01-08). "Juice Left in Odwalla; Company Posts Loss, but Sales and Cash Up Despite Recall". The Los Angeles Times (fee required).
  8. Strassman, Roy, "Drink No Evil" [biographical article on Steltenpohl], ''common ground; The Bay Area's Magazine for Conscious Community since 1974'', July/August 2009, p. 14.
  9. (2008). "Our Roots Go Deep". Odwalla Inc.
  10. Thomsen, Steven R. (1998). "Purifying a tainted corporate image: Odwalla's response to an ''E.coli'' poisoning". Public Relations Quarterly.
  11. Bianchi, Alessandra. (July 1993). "Best Love of Product: True Believers". Inc. Magazine.
  12. "Labor Pool". City of Dinuba.
  13. (2006-03-13). "Odwalla PomaGrand". Odwalla Inc..
  14. (1997-11-29). "Quarterly Report Form 10-Q". Odwalla Inc..
  15. [[Christopher Drew (reporter). (January 4, 1988). "Deadly Bacteria a New Threat To Fruit and Produce in U.S.". [[New York Times]].
  16. Evan, Thomas J.. (1996-07-01). "Odwalla". [[Public Relations Quarterly]].
  17. Woolfolk, John. (1997-05-14). "California-Based Odwalla Inc. Unveils Soy-Based Shakes". Knight-Ridder/Tribune Business News.
  18. (2001-11-06). "Odwalla Inc. SC 14D9". Odwalla Inc..
  19. (2007-11-12). "Getting Serious". Odwalla Inc..
  20. "New Products from Coca-Cola FoodService". The Coca-Cola Company.
  21. (2008-07-16). "Section of Coke Freezes Hiring". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
  22. Devenyns, Jessi. (2 July 2020). "Coca-Cola is discontinuing Odwalla juice".
  23. Maloney, Jennifer. (1 July 2020). "Coca-Cola to Close Odwalla Juice Business".
  24. [https://www.datanyze.com/companies/odwalla/55298132] Odwalla company profile, Datanyze.com, Headquarters - 1900 Davis Dr, Dinuba, California, 93618, United States; (800) 639-2552
  25. "Freshology". Odwalla Inc..
  26. "Good To The Earth - Fresh Juices & Fruits From Natural Ingredients". Odwalla.
  27. (2008-05-17). "Coca-Cola Foodservice Meets Restaurant Operators' Juice Needs with Odwalla, Simply Orange, Minute Maid and More". The Coca-Cola Company.
  28. "Lose weight & improve your health with a real food diet {{!}} Fooducate".
  29. "Lose weight & improve your health with a real food diet {{!}} Fooducate".
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  32. (1999-03-17). "Odwalla Raises the Bar Again; Chocolate Raspberry and Fruity C Monster Join Odwalla Bar Nourishment Ensemble". BNET.

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