Sector:  Food Producer/ Processor, Retail
No.of Employees:  51-100
Region: London

Summary
Innocent is the UK's brand leader in the smoothie market.  The company has founded its reputation on selling natural, healthy fruit drinks, with no preservatives, concentrates, sweeteners or additives.  The UK and Ireland remain Innocent's main markets, with the remaining 10% of sales originating from the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg and France.

Background
Since Innocent's launch in 1998, turnover has increased from £250,000 to £35 million in 2005.  In this time, the number of employees has risen from 3 to 60.  Innocent now owns a 47% share of the smoothie market, making it the UK's leading brand of smoothie.

Responsible business objectives 

"We aim to make sure that everything we do is innocent."

How they do it

• Make only 100% natural, 100% healthy products, that make it easy for people to do themselves some good.

• Give 10% of profits to charity each year through the Innocent Foundation.  The Foundation makes grants to sustainable NGOs focused on nature and local communities in the countries where innocent sources its ingredients.

• Ensure the business system is ethical and responsible, including procurement of ingredients from only sustainable sources, carbon offsetting of emissions, running the business on renewable energy and using recycled materials in all packaging where possible.

• Gifts in kind to homeless people.  Rather than wasting excess products, these are redistributed by Fareshare to provide meals to homeless people.

• Engage in social marketing projects such as 'Supergran'.  Special bottles are identified by woolly hats covering their lids, all hand-knitted by volunteers, and for each one sold a donation of 50p of every bottle is given to Age Concern and ExtraCare to help the elderly keep warm during winter.

• Organise a free festival for over 100,000 people each year called Fruitstock, which raises money for charity.
  

What impact it has

• Support of 5 charities worldwide: CHICKS in the UK; KIDA in Uganda; Find Your Feet in India; Send a Cow in Lesotho; Iracambi in Brazil.  Funding is allocated bi-annually and consists of regular monthly donations plus annual, profit-related contributions.  In the first half of 2004, Innocent donated £80,000 to the Foundation.

• Contribution to meals for over 20,000 homeless people per week, through FareShare.

• Over £12,000 raised for Age Concern and ExtraCare through Supergran project in 2004.

• Generation of national PR coverage for Age Concern and ExtraCare, to the value of £35,000.

• Sustainable packaging.  Reduction of amount of plastic used in bottles by 10%.  Use of 25% recycled plastic in bottles - the maximum that technology will allow.

• Organisation of 2-day festival in Regents Park, featuring live music, yoga lessons and a farmers' market.  £25,000 raised for charity.
  

Business Benefits

• Reinforcement of brand values: support for natural, healthy practices throughout its procurement process and in an 'innocent' way.

• Credibility.  The deep rooted ethics of the business in place since day one keep innocent special as it becomes bigger.  This is confirmed by the receipt of unprompted consumer emails, in praise of Innocent's partnerships.

• Sales.  Supergran project increased sales in EAT outlets by over 50%.

• Delivery of a consumer experience.  Giving something more, to "surprise and delight consumers".  Encourages consumer loyalty.

• Brand awareness.  Events, such as Fruitstock, and innovative stunts, such as the woolly hats on bottles, provide huge PR opportunities and draw attention to the Innocent brand.  Media coverage generated by the Supergran project was valued at £35,000.

• Employee satisfaction. Resulting in high staff retention and a positive working environment.