Odwalla Foods is a health conscious company that sells things like fruit
juices, smoothies, and health bars. In the SWOT analysis above I outlined the
strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats I came up with by taking a slightly
closer look at the brand.
First, I went over the company’s strengths. Luckily, being healthy is ‘cool’ in
today’s society. Some of Odwalla’s strengths in regards to the health of their
products are they’re all natural, there are no preservatives, and there is
approximately a pound of fruit in one bottle of their juice. The newly designed food
pyramid features more servings of fruits and vegetables, so Odwalla can easily
target the people trying to get in their daily dose of fruit. Another strength is there
are products that Odwalla carries that are unlike any other products on the market.
One of those products is a smoothie that can be frozen at home. Other competitors
like Jamba Juice do not have this product available. Another strength is Odwalla
invented a flash pasteurization process to sterilize the drinks to make sure that their
products are contaminate-free.
Next, I outlined Odwalla’s weaknesses. The main weakness I could think of is
the fact that not many people know the name “Odwalla” even if they have seen their
packaging or products in a store before, or even bought them. Unlike Jamba Juice, it
is not a chain that you can find in every mall and it doesn’t have the same element of
‘fun’ that Jamba Juice has. I will discuss the E. coli crisis further in my crisis analysis,
but back in 1996 Odwalla’s juices were contaminated and resulted in the death of
one child and illnesses to many more. While Odwalla has regained their reputation
some people may still remember the crises. Last, the cost of the products could be
considered expensive ($3.00 per bottle) and have a short shelf life.
The opportunities for growth include partnering with health related events
or causes. For example, Odwalla could feature their products at marathon events or
at events raising awareness for diabetes or some other health related cause. To
compete closer with Jamba Juice, they could start offering add-ins like health
boosters, because many other juice companies already offer personalized options.
Just by looking at their website I see that they are now starting to sell juice boxes
marketed towards children, so more mothers will be buying juice boxes for their
kids and could then start buying their other products as a result.
Last, I went over the company’s threats. These include the popularity of other
chain juice/smoothie companies such as Emerald City Smoothie and of course,
Jamba Juice. These chains are more easily recognized by their name alone. While
Odwalla carries their products in grocery stores, it would be a big threat if Jamba
Juice started doing the same thing. Another threat is the company Naked Juice.
Naked Juice is very similar to Odwalla in the type of products they sell, as well as
their packaging. When I first started looking at Odwalla’s product packaging I
assumed it was some sort of off brand Naked Juice. Also, the fact that juicing is
becoming more and more popular could bring even more competition in the market
and attract sales away from the already established Odwalla.