Jamba Juice

Guide Note

Smoothie-chain Jamba Juice was founded by San Luis Obispo native Kirk Perron in 1990, as Juice Club. They serve a variety of smoothies, fruit juices, wheatgrass products and light snacks.

Fast Facts

1. Began under the name Juice Club in 1990
2. Changed name to Jamba Juice in 1995
3. Over 700 United States locations

Jamba Juice is one of North America's most profitable smoothie chains, with sales of about $300 million dollars every year. There are about 200 franchised locations, though the majority of the stores remain company-owned.

The name was changed to Jamba Juice in 1995 as a marketing strategy, apparently derived from an African word "jama," meaning "to celebrate." There are nearly 2,000 African languages, and Jamba Juice has not specified which language this word originates from. The name may also derive from the red-colored jambu fruit, native to south-east Asia.

Jamba Juice offers an assortment of "boosts" in their products. Many of these vitamin and mineral supplements have been removed from the menu, but are still available. Soy Protein, Immunity, Energy, Fiber, Daily Vitamin, Calcium and Green Caffeine are all free available boosts, though removed from Jamba menus at the end of 2007. New boosts were added in 2008, including Whey Protein, Heart Happy, Weight Burner and Omega 3.