Juice is juice, until you try a nudie…..

The story so far

Launched in Balmain, Sydney, in January 2003 by Tim Pethick (Tall Tim), Andrew Binetter and David Gordon (nudie founders), nudie has focused on providing Australians with delicious pure fruit drinks in a fun and engaging way.

With a very limited budget and in a crowded category that is typified by undifferentiated commodity products and is dominated by some very powerful players, nudie has managed to develop a product range and a brand that stands out, engages the consumer and leaves an impression worth talking about.

It is this word of mouth along with nudie’s unconventional and relentless sales and marketing activity that has allowed it to grow to a national operation enjoying rapid sales growth without advertising.

nudie has set out to encourage consumers and outlets to interact with the brand at every touch point of the business; from the quirky nudie delivery cars, to consumers (nudie addicts) exchanging emails with Tall Tim about their first nudie experience to some even having their names printed on labels of a nudie flavour that they suggested and nudie agreed to launch.

This has resulted in consumers and outlets around Australia taking ownership of the nudie brand and becoming nudie evangelists, playing an important role in driving the nudie business at every level: brand, consumer and outlet.

nudie HQ is based in Eastgardens, NSW. The purple palace also has offices in Malaga, Perth WA, Virginia QLD, and Williamstown North VIC. We also have distributors delivering nudies in regional NSW, regional VIC, regional QLD, Adelaide SA, and Launceston and Hobart, Tasmania.





Tall Tim’s vision
Tall Tim Pethick had always been a fresh fruit juice lover and in his global adventures as a corporate high flyer (ex global CEO of Britannica & BT LookSmart), he drew the following conclusions:

• In many other countries, notably the UK and USA, it was possible to purchase ‘nothing but fruit’ juices and crushies. However, this was not possible in Australia
• The fruit juice space in Australia was highly competitive and controlled by two major players, in an oligopolistic market
• The fruit juice market in Australia was full of highly undifferentiated products and brands. They all looked the same (fruit on labels, promises of added vitamin C, etc) and tasted the same (artificial)
• Tall Tim was used to making freshly squeezed juice for himself and his family every morning. This was both time consuming and messy. Tall Tim knew there would be other people who wanted a quality fruit juice every morning but were having to squeeze their own too!

The opportunity
Tall Tim saw an obvious gap in the Australian market - a proven business in other countries but never tried in Australia. He had a strong belief that a product and brand opportunity existed in the bottled fruit juice market in Australia.

Product opportunity:
There were no bottled juices containing ‘nothing but fruit’ available on the market when the product launched on January 8th, 2003.

The prospect of selling fresh and healthy juices with no additives or preservatives interested Tall Tim. With this new opportunity in mind, he could develop a unique fruit juice containing nothing but pure fruit, unlike the products offered by others, which only contained portions of fruit, and had added preservatives and additives.

Offering a chilled juice product with no preservatives or additives is a costly exercise (fruit is expensive) and they also require constant refrigeration. For example, storage and delivery vehicles need to be kept below 4 degrees, which is both difficult and costly. This is part of the reason many juice companies with an already established within Australia haven’t offered a product similar to nudie: it is easier to use preservatives and extreme heat treatments so that the product could be shelf stable.
 

Brand Opportunity:
Building a brand in an environment where there are currently no outstanding brands creates an opportunity to drive sales through creativity and innovation. Competitors with a high market share (such as Berri and Golden Circle) do not depend on innovation to increase sales, as they already experience strong sales. This means there is an opportunity in the market for new products!



The fruit juice market in Australia
In 2003 the majority of players in the juice market exist in a highly competitive and undifferentiated market. These companies offer products that are shelf stable. Such products have the potential to last for longer periods of time on store shelves, in some cases thanks to additives and preservatives and extreme heat treatments.

Within the market, where competition is concentrated, competitors are functional and ambient. There is no room for growth here – except through population growth. The nudie opportunity had surfaced outside of this market which is one of the reasons behind its strong growth.
 

Global nudie
Since inception, nudie have been approached by many players wanting to launch nudie in various overseas markets. In the past nudie have had small and informal arrangements with a distributor in Singapore & Hong Kong. The nudie plan was to grow the domestic (Australian) business to a position of strength both on a business and brand front and then explore global opportunities the nudie way i.e. with nudie people in nudie cars heavily supported by unconventional nudie marketing and PR.

This is why we have, since 2007, looked closely at expanding nudie to include Hong Kong. Early signs are promising and we now have a full time presence there. When the time is right, nudie will consider the most effective entry strategy on a country by country basis. Although we will probably favour expansion in Asia to begin with.
In some countries, a straight forward licensing deal may be the preference, aligning with an organisation that has existing infrastructure in place. In other countries, nudie may decide to set-up their own operation and control in its entirety. In all instances, nudie appreciate that launching a brand/business overseas comes with great challenges and accept that the way in which they do this needs to be very well planned.

The nudie difference

In an overcrowded beverage space, nudie has been able to build a reputation of being very different from any other juice company. The main reasons for this are:

• nudies are the most delicious drinks ever made!
• nudie people are friendly, fun, passionate and enthusiastic
• the nudie brand is quirky, irreverent, unusual and fun and stands alone compared to other juice brands

Tall Tim’s critical success factors:

• empower consumers to propagate the brand
• differentiate –being different will achieve high brand recall and a high cut through rate
• delight customers
• engage - delighting and engaging customers ensures word-of-mouth to engage more potential customers and increase brand awareness

Objectives

• raise awareness
• enhance brand equity
• drive sales (acquire outlets/sell through)
• generate loyalty from outlets and addicts
• have some fun, do some good
   

The Product

Crushies, juices, squishies, sMOOthies, ice creams and soups are or have been nudie’s products on offer to consumers over the past five years. This creates an opportunity for future product extension strategies. nudie crushies and juices come in three bottle sizes, a 160ml squishie, and a 250ml and 750ml bottle.

At the moment, smoothies are only available in the smaller 250ml size. There are no additives, no preservatives, no flavourings, no colourings, and all nudies are 99% fat free. nudies are perishable and require constant refrigeration. They have a shelf life of up to 28 days. nudies are distributed through over 6000 outlets nationally.

nudies are a unique offering, currently boasting nine crushies/juicies and one smoothie flavour and two squishies. Each of these flavours is a combination of fruits, personally tested by Tall Tim to make the delicious nudie range. Each nudie contains nothing but fruit that has been crushed and blended and poured into a bottle. The finished packaged product reflects the natural colours of the fruits, and is highly branded. Labelling on each nudie is distinctive, engaging and eye-catching.

The Australian beverage market is worth an estimated $5 billion dollars and consists of soft drinks, sports and energy drinks, bottled water, ‘ready-to-drink’ coffee and tea, and fruit and vegetable juices. nudies are positioned in the ‘super premium’ juice category, and nudies currently generate an estimated monthly turnover in excess of $2 million. However, this figure is growing, just as nudie as a company gets bigger. The freshly squeezed, 100% juice category has grown by 50% in the last four years and is now worth an estimated $450 million each year.

Tools

Sampling
In the last twelve months, nudie has given away around 2.5 million sample portions, through a large number of sampling sessions at various nudie distribution outlets. Sampling is a crucial tool for nudie because it has created awareness, and more importantly, positive ‘word-of-mouth’. If the product is good, and people can try them, they will then talk about them with others and spread the love for nudie.

Point Of Sale
nudie utilises a large number of POS including stickers, posters, t-shirts, fridge trays, caps, wrist bands, flyers and mugs found in many nudie outlets. These stores are nudie’s final opportunity to sell nudies to nudie addicts and also to those who haven’t yet tried or even heard of nudie (potential nudie addicts). Current use of POS alerts potential consumers to the presence of nudie. This helps because it is not always easy to identify products if they are just sitting on a fridge shelf. POS supports word-of-mouth which is nudie’s major means of communicating with consumers.
 

PR
Despite not having a budget for television advertising we are still able to talk to a mass audience through radio (John Laws is a great fan and in his radio days often mentioned us), events (e.g. The Good Food and Wine show in Melbourne and Sydney) and other marketing activities including the nudie name, nudie character, hot air balloon, nudie cars, & Tall Tim’s story (successful businessman to juice squeezer).

Event Marketing
Sydney Fashion week, Good Vibrations, St Kilda festival, The Good Food and Wine show, Flickerfest, Sculptures by the Sea and the Royal Easter Show to name but a few are all events nudie has participated in. It is important to consider each event on an individual basis, in relation to brand equity. Having nudie at such chosen events should add value to both the event and to nudie (increasing brand equity).

nudie Sponsorships
nudie has sponsored individuals in a range of sports, from motor racing to athletics and also local sports teams. They might be a group of softball players, rugby union/league teams or hockey players or cyclists – nudie has sponsored dozens of teams and individuals in the past five years and continues to look for opportunities to assist nudie addicts at grass root level upwards.

Notable Promotions

Bedarra Island Getaway! Summer 2005
This competition involved SMS-ing a code and winning a variety of instant prizes. The lucky winner received not only a week for two in your own tropical escape on Bedarra Island (off the coast of North Queensland) but also a flight for two in the nudie hot-air balloon. The instant prizes composed of 200 nudie caps, 1000 wrist bands and 2000 plushies.

Australia’s Biggest nudie Addict! Summer 2006
From October until December 2006 nudie ran a promotion to discover Australia’s Biggest nudie Addict. Apart from the prize money and a free nudie hot-air balloon ride, the winner also had a label designed with their image upon it and used, for one a one year duration, on the Mango and Passion Fruit and more bottles (250ml). After over 30,000 entries the winner was Nadia Pocock from Sydney. She sent in a picture of her bathing in nudies – now they don’t come more fanatical than that!

nudie Election! Summer 2007
From October through to December 2007, in parallel with the Australian Federal Election, nudie held its own election. It was a vote for one of three fruit flavours: mango, pineapple or raspberry. nudie addicts were asked to choose one of the fruits and the winning one, (after the votes were counted it was found to be mango) was the main component in the new flavour launched mid-January 2008: mango, peach and more nudie – often referred to as ‘the people’s choice nudie’ for obvious reason!

Website
A great indication that consumers are engaged with the product is through the positive response on the nudie website. When customers are engaged, they will talk to others about nudie, and spread their love for nudie. nudie receives around 100 emails a day from the general public. The nudie website is fun, informative and interactive and currently has around 30,000 subscribers (growing daily). More astounding is the fact that so much interest can surround a juice company’s website!

Other tools include

• The nudie hot air balloon,
• nudie’s national fleet of branded Nissan S Cargo cars and Citroens
• The nudie life size character
• The nudie plushie (nudie’s cuddly toy)
• Branded stickers and tattoos and wrist bands.

Key advantages of nudie

• Made the first move in an untapped market space
• Delicious product
• The people

Why do people buy nudies?

• They taste yummy!
• A day’s fruit in every bottle
• No additives, preservatives, water or sugar added
• Strong brand
• Image

Who buys nudies?
nudies are purchased by fun, positive, nutritionally conscious individuals. nudie addicts are fun loving active and informed, they represent a population who are increasingly concerned about taking care of themselves. The target market was originally believed to be AB demographic, aged 18- 40. However, nudie appeals to mothers and toddlers, school kids, convalescents, the elderly, athletes and many others, so a target market is now much harder to define.

Competition

• Both Berri and Golden Circle have a estimated combined market share of 60% of the juice industry, worth $1 billion annually
• The fruit juice market is highly competitive and undifferentiated
• Most competitors are functional and ambient
• Carbonated beverages account for 50% of the beverage market
• Berri holds 48.5% market share in the juice sector
• nudie has some competition these days but although they are emulating the nudie flavours and style of product (e.g. 100% juice with no additives) they haven’t managed to evoke the magic of the nudie brand.

• nudie will continue to maintain the brand’s equity by preserving the quality of each nudie. The product’s quality is one of the main reasons behind the strong interest amongst many content nudie drinkers
• Increase brand awareness through word-of-mouth, via the currently utilised marketing tools
• Obtain profitability and ensure long-term viability

The nudie brand qualities

• Australian
• Positive
• Different
• Transparent
• Wholesome
• Fun
• Quirky
• Healthy & Active
• Clever
• Cool
• Refreshing
• Innovative

The tech stuff
Lots of people ask us about the difference between nudies and other juices.

And there can be a big difference between juices found in the supermarket fridge and the juices found on a supermarket shelf.

Many of those that are found on the shelf that don’t need refrigeration are made by a process called ‘hot-fill’ which essentially means the fruit juices (actually they are usually concentrates) have been mixed up, heated to boiling temperature and then bottle filled whilst still hot and the cap is put on top. The heat from the juice pasteurises the bottle and the headspace. The bottle, which may be glass or PET, is then cooled using a water shower until the temperature comes back to room temperature. You can usually recognise hot filled product by their packaging. 

Still unsure? Here are a few things to look out for:

• Glass bottles filled in this way usually have a cap with a “safety button” that will pop when opened
• PET bottles filled in this way will usually have quite a deep cap, little if any headspace and have a metallised/plastic cover under the cap or on the top of the bottle when the cap is removed. In other words they have quite a strong and robust cap system
• If they are filled in smaller PET bottles they might be a heavier feel plastic and contain ridges moulded into the bottle vertically

So now you know all about the shelf stable products! But head over to the refrigerator and it’s easy to get confused all over again!

Here you can find some “hot filled” products often marketed in the refrigerator (but that don’t necessarily need to be kept chilled), and this is where you will find most of the juices containing preservatives (nasty word here at nudie world).
Preservatives are ‘antimicrobial agents’ (big word alert, but yes we have spell checked it!!) and are used to help juice last longer than nature would normally intend. The most popular nasties used are the benzoates and sorbates and can be recognised on the labels as:

• Sorbic acid (200)
• Sodium sorbate (201)
• Potassium sorbate (202)
• Calcium sorbate
• Benzoic acid
• Sodium benzoate
• Potassium benzoate
• Calcium benzoate.

But there are plenty more to watch out for!

As you know by now, nudies do not contain any preservatives, which is why they need extra care and attention.

So here are the secrets to making a top tasting nudie!

• Good fruit materials
• Effective processing
• Clean manufacturing facilities
• Effective cold chain management.

And here’s how we get them to your favourite nudie outlet:

We source our fruit from growers (in Australia where possible) and processors who crush the fruit. We then take the juice and mix it into wonderful, delicious recipes just like you might at home. We then give the juice a light pasteurisation and fill it cold into the little plastic bottles, cap them, label them, date code them and pack them onto pallets for distribution around the country, and into your local fridge.


Concentrates? Not at nudie world…

One other thing to note about nudies is we use no concentrates. Concentrates are made by taking the juice and boiling off the water. This makes for a smaller volume of fruit solids to cart around the world so brings manufacturers lots of cost advantages. When manufacturers want to make juice from concentrates, they simply add water back to dilute this concentrate. However all that cooking can’t be good for the fruit, and we certainly do not add any water. So there you have it!

The nudie fire
Following a devastating fire in May 2004, nudie’s only production and manufacturing site was burnt to the ground, and no nudies were made for six weeks.

But after six weeks, nudies were back by sourcing and shifting production to a secret location in South Australia. For three years our manufacturing site location was top secret, to avoid further arson attempts and ensure nudies remained on shelves nationwide. We have now rebuilt the original nudie factory and offices, and have one of the most modern juice making facilities in the world.



The nudie dictionary
nudie addict: someone who craves, dreams and needs nudies everyday! They also feel the need to spread the word. They are nudie’s greatest asset outside of the product itself.

Our challenge is to convert as many people as possible into nudie addicts and then make sure they have access to as many nudie outlets as possible to satisfy their addictions.

nudie outlet: A store that sells delicious nudie product. We love these stores and their staff. They are the gatekeepers between nudies and nudie addicts.

Key account: An individual outlet or a chain of outlets that sell large volumes of nudies. Bayswiss, Greater Union cinemas, Woolworths, Pasta Pantry and Coles are all examples of key accounts

On-brand: The nudie team are always looking for people who are ‘on brand’. Fun, happy, positive, pro-active, groovy, approachable, helpful and most importantly pro-nudie.

nudie world: green fields of joy, chirping birds and glorious sun, a place where all the nudie fruit comes from. The nudie world is a lovely place to be.


TLC for nudies

nudie crushies and juicies are made from nothing but fruit.

No water, sugar, preservatives, additives or sugar.

Only delicious nude fruit!

For these reasons it is hugely important that our drinks are kept in a fridge at less than 4˚C just like milk.

Please always remind our outlets and drinkers that nudie is a fresh product and needs to be handled with care. Our drinks will not survive in warm temperatures, so addicts should be either drinking them on the spot or keeping them cold.



Frequently Asked Questions

What’s a nudie?
nudie is a delicious fruit drink, made of 100% pure fruit

What’s in it?
Nothing but nude fruit - we don’t add any water, sugar, additives or preservatives

What’s the shelf life?
About 28 days from the date of manufacture, as long as they are kept refrigerated below 4˚C

How many flavours are there?
We currently have 9 flavours of crushies and juicies, and one of smoothie, but the nudie family is changing all the time!

Orange, mango & pineapple crushie
Cranberry, raspberry & more crushie
Blueberry, blackberry & more crushie
Mango, passion fruit & more crushie
Strawberry, banana and more crushie
Mango, peach & more crushie
Lots of green fruit, wheatgrass & more
Lychee, lemon & lime juicie
Orange, carrot and ginger juicie
Mango, passion fruit, banana, yogurt and more smoothie


What is the difference between a nudie crushie and nudie juicie?
A crushie contains fruit that has been crushed, and put into the bottle. Typical crushie fruits are bananas and mangoes.
Juicies contain juiced fruits, such as citrus fruits, so the whole fruit is not in the bottle- just its juices

What does the ‘and more’ mean at the end of each flavour?
It means there may be other fruits added to that particular flavour. So for example, a cranberry, raspberry and more crushie also contains apple, banana and orange. All ingredients are on the side of the bottle, along with the actual percentages of different fruits which make up that flavour.

What is a nudie smoothie?
A combination of fresh fruits blended with natural pro biotic yoghurt made from milk from cows that are happy and content and genuinely love their lives. We use yoghurt that is 99% fat free

What is pro biotic yogurt?
This type of yogurt contains live bacterial cultures called probiotics or friendly bacteria. The yogurt used in a nudie smoothie contains acidophilus and bifido bacterium cultures, which are crucial for maintaining the balance of good to bad bacteria that live inside the intestines. Since yogurt is made from milk, smoothies should not be consumed by people with dairy allergies.

Where is the fruit from and is it organic?
Our policy is to use the best quality fruit whenever and wherever it is available. For example, the mangoes we use are the finest Kensington Pride Mangoes from Queensland and Northern Territory. Our apples and oranges are also Australian, as are the carrots, ginger, honey, and yoghurt.
Some of the fruit we use is organic but we use so much fruit each week (over 200 tonnes) that we cant get hold of that much organic fruit.
Also, some fruits we use aren’t grown organically, in the same way as some fruits we use can’t be found in Australia!

How does the product stay fresh?
It is flash pasteurised initially, and then kept below 4 degrees to stay at its best.

What happens if it is kept at room temperature, or in a warm fridge?
The fruit gets warm and begins to ferment. In prolonged warm conditions, the fermentation causes the lid to pop off and the nudie fountains out of the bottle making a mess! For this reason, we advise anyone buying a nudie to keep it cold, or ideally, drink its straight away.

Is the product pasteurised?
The product is flash pasteurised, a shorter and more intense form of pasteurisation. This means that nudies keep their flavour and vitamins.

How can I stock nudie at my store?
Please email us your details to nudie@nudie.com.au and we will have a nudie representative call you. Or you can call 1800 – go – nudie (1 800 46 68343).

Where does the fruit in a nudie come from?
Around Australia but sometimes from around the world. Our preference is Australian fruit, but we purchase fruit from wherever we can find the highest quality. Many fruits, such as cranberries, are not grown in Australia, so we have to purchase them from overseas, but we buy Australian where possible.

How long does it last in the fridge?
Approx 28 days from time of making the nudie, as long as they are kept refrigerated.

Are nudies kosher and halal?
There is no reason why nudies are not Kosher, but we are still working on the certification process. nudies are Halal and we have a certificate (of which we are very proud) from the Islamic councils of Australia to prove it!
 

Are nudies suitable for pregnant and breastfeeding women?
Absolutely - drink up. nudies are pasteurized which makes them safe for pregnant and breastfeeding women and their babies. Also pregnant and breastfeeding women need extra energy to do all these things so there's nothing wrong with an extra nudie every now and then, but best to make sure you get some whole fruit too.

Some past and present nudies in the 250mL range!

Past and present nudie products

nudie n’ice

In December 2005, nudie entered Into a two year licensing agreement with Nestle, for Nestle to produce nudie n’ice ice blocks.

Why nudie n’ice was launched
The refreshment segment in ice cream is a growing opportunity (worth around $50,000,000, approx 20% of the route trade ice cream market).

Before nudie n’ice launched there was only one key refreshment brand with a premium fruit positioning (Weis bars) and the existing brands within the refreshment segment had been given little innovation. A revamp of the entire segment was a great opportunity for nudie to get involved in the ice cream market for the following reasons:

• The nudie brand will provide a point of difference in the existing refreshment segment
• nudie is able to capture the youthful teenage "attitudinal ice cream" consumer
• nudie is healthy
• nudie is all about fun and so is ice cream

After their official launch on 1st December 2005, nudie n’ices managed at their peak to be stocked in over 30000 stores nationally, with a key focus on metro Sydney and Melbourne, but also SA and QLD. Specific nudie freezers were created in three different sizes so stores could have entire freezers with nudie stock available. Yum!
The three flavours available were:

• Blueberry, Blackberry & More
• Orange, Mango & Pineapple
• Lychee, Lemon & Lime

Some key facts about nudie n’ice

• Product was made with a nudie juice outer shell and a fruity sorbet centre
• Product was classified as part of refreshment category
• 99.9% Fat Free
• No artificial colours & flavours

The nudie n’ice target market:

• 18-25 years of age
• Female Focus
• Attitudinal market
• Lovers of nudie juice
• Lovers of refreshment ice cream
• Image conscious experimenters
• Young, independent, carefree ice cream fans.
• Out of home consumption

Sadly for nudie n’ice addicts, in December of 2007 the Nestle contract came to an end and the limited edition nudie n’ice ceased. It remains to be decided whether they will be released again at a later date – but it is a possibility.

 

nudie squishies Is it a nudie? Yes, but it’s a squishie nudie! It’s not just grown ups that get to have fun here at nudie. We happen to think that little people can be the biggest nudie addicts and so the nudie team came up with squishies, a new 160mL nudie, designed especially with big kids in mind! The new nudie squishies come in 4 delicious flavours and are made with nothing but fruit, so no added water, sugar, additives or preservatives. With at least two servings of fruit in every pack, squishies make the perfect break time snack and are a special little size for special little people! They can be frozen and left to defrost for lunch, or as a break time juice. Either way, fruit has never been this fun, and there has never been a better time to drink nudies than at school. Flavours include: Mango, passion fruit & more Strawberry, banana and more The squishies were launched in April 2006

nudie yogies

Another limited edition product was nudie’s yogies. They were produced from 2006 until late 2007. nudie yogies were like nudie smoothies but not so…smooth! But if can imagine home made yoghurt, crammed fully with nudie fruits then that’s what a nudie yogie was. Following nudie tradition, yogies were free from concentrates, preservatives, artificial flavourings and colourings.

nudie yogies came in three of nudie’s favourite flavours, blackberry & blueberry, mango & passionfruit, and strawberry and banana. This limited edition product may well return when the moment is right.  

 

Life is Rosie Although not a nudie juice and different from the normal nudie range in style and presentation, the nudie company has also produced two drinks in the rosie range: rosie ruby (containing cranberries and apple juice) and rosie blue (containing cranberries and blueberries and apple juice). As there is no added sugar and cranberries are extremely tart on the palette, apple juice is added to sweeten the taste. For more information go to http://www.lifeisrosie.com.au/

The Golden Arches

When the McDonald’s corporation knocks on your door it pays to answer! And when McDonald’s explained that they were seeking a fruit juice that was 100% juice with no additives, we told them they’d come to the right place. The result of this meeting is a range of three fruit juice flavours, strawberry burst, mango mash and blueberry blend. Sold exclusively by McDonald’s but made by us at nudie world, they represent McDonald’s serious move towards healthier life options and allow Australians to enjoy a 100% juice offering with nothing added.

Crash!

nudie partnered with Gloria Jeans to produce the Passion Mango Crash – a delicious combination of passionfruit and mango in the full tradition of a nudie, just fruit with nothing added or taken away. This is another limited edition nudie and is set to run through the summer months.

Want To Know More?
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