Orange County Register

Jamba Juice challenges Starbucks with oatmeal launch

January 15th, 2009, 2:00 am · 16 Comments · posted by Nancy Luna, Staff Writer

Jamba Juice will debut oatmeal in most U.S. smoothie shops. (CLICK PHOTO TO ENLARGE)

Instead of giving customers a refreshing cool lift, Jamba Juice (JMBA) wants to warm you up.

Starting today, Jamba Juice plans to sell oatmeal in a majority of its 700 shops. The national roll out of the hot morning grub is a milestone for the company — marking the first significant debut of a non-smoothie item on its menu, said newly appointed Chief executive James D. White.

“It’s our foray into food,” said White, a former brand executive at California supermarket chain Safeway (SWY).

Jamba Juice’s oatmeal takes 40 minutes to prepare, but is available to customers instantly, the chain said. It is made with organic, steel-cut oats and comes with a choice of three real fruit toppings: blueberry-blackberry, apple cinnamon or fresh bananas. (Cost: $2.95)

But, is Jamba Juice too late? The the arrival of oatmeal comes after Starbucks (SBUX) beat Jamba Juice to the breakfast table. Starbucks introduced a $2.45 oatmeal last fall (2008), a move that gave the struggling coffee chain a much-needed financial boost.

**READ MY OATMEAL REVIEW HERE**

Is Jamba Juice copying Starbucks? Will coffee be next on the smoothie chain’s menu? White, reached by phone Wednesday to discuss the oatmeal launch, addressed those questions and more during a phone interview.

Here’s what he had to say:

Q: How many units will get oatmeal?
A: It will be more than 600 stores. Southern California is definitely a core market.

Q: Jamba Juice began a breakfast program in spring. How well are those breakfast drinks and yogurts doing?
A: They are doing well enough. They were at first breakfast-only items, but we’ve made them available all day (due to demand.)

Q: How much revenue will this new day part add to your overall sales?
A: That’s not something we want to share at this point.

Q: Coming from Safeway (SWY), your background is in brand strategy. How do smoothies and oatmeal go together? Do you really expect someone to order a Strawberries Wild with a side of oatmeal?
A: Jamba Juice, as a brand, is bigger than just smoothies. It’s a lifestyle brand. It’s a better for you, high quality brand. That’s why we are serving slow-cooked, organic oatmeal with real fruit toppings. We want new people to come and look at us, and grab a fresh juice and oatmeal.

Starbucks oatmeal

Q:Coincidence that you added oatmeal to your menu months after Starbucks saw success with its new oatmeal?
A: We’ve been working on this a year and we think we deliver a higher quality offering. One is instant, and one is slow cooked. [For the record: White is right. Starbucks confirms that its oatmeal is instant.]

Q: Can Jamba Juice customers expect more food on the menu in the future? What about coffee?
A: We’re considering lots of options. We’re getting very serious about food offerings that complement the core smoothie business. We’ve announced tests of wraps. We are very focused on foods (for) all the day parts.

To learn if your local Jamba Juice is selling oatmeal, call Jamba Juice’s customer service line at 1-866-4R-FRUIT.

Share this post:

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

Posted in: Cafes and Coffee • Fast food news • Healthy fast food • Marketing Buzz • Nutrition • Starbucks • Jamba Juice • oatmeal
 

ADVERTISEMENT

You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.

 16 Comments

• NutritionFinally says:

  January 15, 2009 at 9:29 am

  This is a very smart move by Jamba.
  The herds of sugar consuming masses, who only have been drinking basic smoothies (which has elevated high sugar content from the fruit and fruit concentrates used in smoothies) can make an intelligent choice about getting another form of nutrition from steel cut oatmeal.
  Good move Jamba!
  Keep up the good work and continue with the offerings.
  Like McDonald’s, we can turn around the fast food culture to give people sensible nutrition as a choice when they decide to eat out.
  I predict significant success, and watch for the other juice bar chains to follow suit.

  Post Reply
• martha says:

  January 15, 2009 at 9:49 am

  yum! i’m really excited for this, although i rarely go to jamba juice at all. steel cut oats are way yummier than instant oats. it just may be enough to get me back to jamba juice again.

  Post Reply
• Cliff says:

  January 15, 2009 at 11:13 am

  LOVE the Oatmeal!

  Post Reply
• kathy says:

  January 15, 2009 at 12:03 pm

  Try the new Jamba Juice Oatmeal for a buck!!

  (And read my healthy eating thoughts on the product…)

  http://kblog.lunchboxbunch.com/2009/01/try-new-jamba-juice-oatmeal-for-buck.html

  Post Reply
• Jeff says:

  January 15, 2009 at 12:06 pm

  Oatmeal is my Saturday morning staple http://jefferyclark.net/Recipes/oatmeal/. Its good to know that I have an alternative when I am on the road.

  Post Reply
• Christian says:

  January 15, 2009 at 12:51 pm

  I actually live closer (I think) to a Jamba Juice than to a Starbucks. If a Jamba Juice is more convenient to somebody than a Starbucks on their way to work or whatever then they will more likely stop at the Jamba Juice if they have oatmeal on their brain, not go farther to a Starbucks because of Starbucks introducing oatmeal first.

  Post Reply
• Jack says:

  January 15, 2009 at 4:10 pm

  too late Jamba! Starbucks already laid the foundation and has gained the core customer base. Instant or not, Starbucks’ oatmeal is superior.

  Post Reply
• Maggie says:

  January 15, 2009 at 6:08 pm

  Oh silly Jack! You must work for Starbucks and naturally feel a need to defend.
  Who made the first cheeseburger? Does it matter? No, but quality and personal taste does. Everyone has their favorites, and what fits into their lifestyle. You can’t compare apples to oranges. When all is said and done a customer will go where there is more benefit for them, which includes availability, convenience, personal taste and customer experience.

  Post Reply
• Mark says:

  January 16, 2009 at 5:49 pm

  Great product. I bought my first oatmeal today and can say it was tasty. Will be a regular at least once a week. Nice way to warm up on a cold Seattle day.

  Post Reply
• Georgia says:

  January 17, 2009 at 8:29 am

  The oatmeal is great. It’s much better than Starbuck’s because it’s not instant oatmeal. I’ve tried the banana and the berry and they are both delicious and very filling.

  Post Reply
• healthymom says:

  January 19, 2009 at 1:46 pm

  Sorry Starbucks, why would I as a person in this economy spend that kind of money on INSTANT oatmeal!!! Forget it.. But I eat Jamba’s Oatmeal, slow cooked, steal cut oatmeal is unlike any oatmeal out there! I love the apple!!!

  Post Reply
• Jessica says:

  January 22, 2009 at 4:14 pm

  HA first of all Jamba Juice has fruit covered in preservatives and sugars. Theres hundreds of calories in their smoothies and fatty sherberts provide most of the taste!! Starbucks is just as bad. Try local cafes and resurants people lets boost the local economy not make the rich richer!!

  Post Reply
• F&E Fan says:

  January 22, 2009 at 6:25 pm

  Well, the Q & A includes a line about breakfast items being available all day. Not at my Jamba. The oatmeal is only served until 11 am.
  And nobody mentioned that it’s non-dairy, made with (YUCK) soy milk.
  I’ll pass.

  Post Reply
• Hannah says:

  February 7, 2009 at 2:02 pm

  I’m eating cinammon apple oatmeal from jamb juice right now as I’m writing this on my phone. It’s so tasty! I’d never liked oatmeal before, probably because I had eaten instant ones only. Slow cooked oatmeal is so good that I could chow down plain oatmeal a they prepared with soy milk. The topping is like a candy on the top of it!

  Post Reply
• KT says:

  February 12, 2009 at 6:56 am

  I just tried the Jamba outmeal and it taste great! I’m usually not an outmeal person but the steel cut oats taste way better than instant and the banana and brown sugar as a topping give it the sweetness it needs. Good job Jamba

  Post Reply
• Andy says:

  March 10, 2009 at 5:18 pm

  I work at jamba juice and this oatmeal is great. Most stores are offering it for only a dollar right now (1.08 with tax). Some require you to purchase a smoothie with it, others require a coupon, but some might just give it to you for a dollar if you ask. Its really good too, even worth full price. I have some everyday with apple which I think is the best. Lastly, the quality is good; it isn’t instant oatmeal obviously…We slow cook it in the back and keep it steam heated all day with new batches coming out periodically. Its very good; if you aren’t sure, just try it, for 1 dollar or for 3, its well worth it.

  Post Reply