PJ's Smoothies
PJ's Smoothies was a British smoothie brand established in 1994 and later discontinued by PepsiCo.
Last updated August 26, 2026
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Overview
PJ's Smoothies was a British fruit-smoothie brand established in 1994 by Harry Cragoe, Patrick Folkes and David Clancy. It is described as the original UK smoothie brand and helped establish smoothies as a recognizable packaged-drink category in the British market. The brand was initially marketed under the name “Pete & Johnny's,” although the account associated with the brand states that there were no actual people called Pete or Johnny; a contemporary press account reportedly offered a different explanation for the name. The brand developed a range of bottled fruit smoothies, including orange, mandarin and guava, strawberry, apple and rhubarb, apple, kiwi and lime, and strawberry and banana variants. Products were sold in 250 ml and one-litre bottles, giving the brand both an individual serving format and a larger household format. In 2003, PJ's introduced Frooties, described as the first smoothie specifically launched for children. That year also marked the brand's television debut, when it sponsored the reality game show Survivor. The television sponsorship was significant because PJ's was identified as the first smoothie brand to appear on UK television in this manner. PepsiCo acquired PJ's Smoothies in 2005 for £20 million. The brand operated within PepsiCo's wider beverage portfolio through Copella, a fruit-juice producer that served as PJ's parent company. After the acquisition, PJ's faced increased competitive pressure from Innocent Smoothies. By 2007, the brand had reportedly lost its leading position, while Innocent was described as holding approximately 80 percent of the relevant market. PJ's undertook visual and packaging changes during this period: Landor Associates handled a rebranding in 2006 and a further redesign of the logo and packaging in 2007. At the beginning of 2008, PepsiCo announced plans to reduce PJ's prices by 30 percent and cut the size of the product range by half. The stated objective was to make the products more accessible and attract additional consumers to the smoothie category. Later in 2008, PepsiCo announced that it would discontinue the PJ's Smoothies brand and concentrate more heavily on Tropicana. PJ's therefore became a discontinued brand rather than a continuing independent competitor in the UK smoothie market. Its historical importance lies primarily in its early role in commercializing bottled smoothies in Britain, its child-focused Frooties launch, and its early use of national television sponsorship.
History
PJ's Smoothies was founded in the United Kingdom in 1994 by Harry Cragoe, Patrick Folkes and David Clancy. The brand entered the market at an early stage of the British smoothie industry and is characterized in its reference history as the original UK smoothie. Its first marketing name was “Pete & Johnny's.” The brand history notes that no actual people called Pete or Johnny were associated with the name, although a contemporary newspaper account reportedly suggested that Peter Dubens may have been the source of “Pete.” The company built its identity around bottled fruit smoothies offered in multiple flavors and two principal package sizes. The documented range included orange; mandarin and guava; strawberry; apple and rhubarb; apple; kiwi and lime; and strawberry and banana. The 250 ml bottle addressed single-serve consumption, while the one-litre bottle served household use. In 2003, PJ's expanded beyond its core adult-oriented range with Frooties, described as the first smoothie designed for children. The same year, the brand sponsored the reality game show Survivor, giving it a television presence and making it the first smoothie brand identified in the reference material as appearing on UK television. PepsiCo acquired PJ's Smoothies in 2005 for £20 million. The brand was produced under Copella, a fruit-juice business that was itself owned by PepsiCo. The acquisition placed PJ's within a large multinational beverage portfolio, but the brand subsequently encountered strong competition from Innocent Smoothies. By 2007, PJ's was reported to have lost its market dominance, while Innocent was described as controlling around 80 percent of the market. PepsiCo responded with brand and packaging work. Landor Associates conducted a rebranding in 2006 and redesigned the logo and packaging in 2007. In early 2008, PepsiCo announced a significant commercial reset. It planned to lower PJ's prices by 30 percent and reduce the range by half, with the aim of bringing new consumers into the smoothie category. These measures were followed later in the year by a decision to discontinue PJ's altogether and place greater emphasis on Tropicana. The sequence shows a progression from acquisition and attempted repositioning to rationalization and withdrawal. PJ's Smoothies is consequently a defunct brand. Its historical significance is linked to its early presence in the UK smoothie market, the introduction of a dedicated children's smoothie line, and its use of television sponsorship before the brand was absorbed into and eventually removed from PepsiCo's beverage strategy.
- 2008
Price and range reset announced
[1]PepsiCo announced a 30 percent price reduction and a plan to reduce the product range by half.
- 2008
Brand discontinued
[1]PepsiCo announced that it would scrap PJ's Smoothies and focus more on Tropicana.
- 2007
Logo and packaging redesigned
[1]Landor Associates redesigned the PJ's logo and packaging as the brand faced increased competition from Innocent Smoothies.
- 2006
First documented rebranding
[1]Landor Associates handled a rebranding of PJ's Smoothies.
- 2005
Acquired by PepsiCo
[1]PepsiCo bought PJ's Smoothies for £20 million.
- 2003
Frooties launched
[1]PJ's introduced Frooties, identified in the reference history as its first smoothie range for children.
- 2003
Television debut through Survivor sponsorship
[1]PJ's sponsored the reality game show Survivor and became the first smoothie brand identified in the reference history as appearing on UK television.
- 1994
Brand established
[1]Harry Cragoe, Patrick Folkes and David Clancy established PJ's Smoothies in the United Kingdom.
- 1994
Initial Pete & Johnny's marketing
[1]The brand was initially marketed under the name Pete & Johnny's, despite the stated absence of real people by those names.
Products and positioning
An early British packaged-smoothie brand positioned around fruit-based drinks, broad flavor variety and accessible bottled formats. Its Frooties line extended the brand into children's beverages.
Children's smoothies · 2003
Frooties
Frooties was PJ's Smoothies' child-focused line, launched in 2003. It extended the brand's fruit-drink proposition to younger consumers and is identified in the reference history as the first smoothie specifically launched for children. The available material does not specify individual Frooties flavors, ingredients, package sizes or whether the line continued throughout the brand's later rationalization.
Fruit smoothies
Core bottled smoothie range
PJ's core range consisted of bottled fruit smoothies sold in 250 ml and one-litre formats. Documented flavors included orange, mandarin and guava, strawberry, apple and rhubarb, apple, kiwi and lime, and strawberry and banana. The range gave the brand both single-serving and larger household options. The available source does not provide detailed recipes, nutritional information or the dates of individual flavor introductions.
Marketing campaigns
- 2003Survivor television sponsorship
United Kingdom
PJ's Smoothies sponsored the reality game show Survivor, marking the brand's television debut and providing national entertainment-program exposure.
Outcome. The sponsorship established PJ's as the first smoothie brand identified in the reference material as appearing on UK television. No audience, sales or return-on-investment figures are provided.
Brand decisions
2008
Price reduction and range rationalizationPrice changeBackground
By 2007, PJ's had reportedly lost market dominance to Innocent Smoothies, prompting PepsiCo to seek a more accessible and focused proposition.
Action taken
PepsiCo announced a 30 percent price reduction and planned to cut the product range by half.
Aftermath
The measures were followed later in 2008 by the announcement that PJ's Smoothies would be discontinued.
2008
Discontinuation in favor of Tropicana focusStrategyBackground
PepsiCo had reduced prices and narrowed the PJ's range while competing against Innocent in the UK smoothie market.
Action taken
PepsiCo announced that it would scrap the PJ's Smoothies brand and focus more heavily on Tropicana.
Aftermath
PJ's Smoothies became a defunct brand.
2005
PepsiCo acquisitionM&ABackground
PJ's Smoothies was an established UK smoothie brand operating in the fruit-drink market.
Action taken
PepsiCo acquired the brand for £20 million and placed it within its beverage portfolio through Copella.
Aftermath
The brand later faced competition from Innocent Smoothies and was eventually discontinued in 2008.
Acquisition price. £20 million (2005)
Recent events
- 2008
PepsiCo announces a price reduction and smaller PJ's range[1]
Pricing
PepsiCo announced plans to reduce PJ's Smoothies prices by 30 percent and halve the size of the product range in an effort to attract new consumers to smoothies.
- 2008
PepsiCo discontinues PJ's Smoothies[1]
Other
Later in 2008, PepsiCo announced that it would end the PJ's Smoothies brand and focus more heavily on Tropicana.
- 2007
Landor redesigns PJ's Smoothies branding and packaging[1]
Other
Landor Associates redesigned the PJ's Smoothies logo and packaging after handling an earlier brand rebranding in 2006.
- 2005
PepsiCo acquires PJ's Smoothies[1]
M&A
PepsiCo purchased the PJ's Smoothies brand for £20 million. The brand was associated with Copella, a fruit-juice producer owned by PepsiCo.
Sources1 sources
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