EDMONTON, Alberta, Dec. 13, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Canadian-based company, Booster Juice, turned 20 on November 13th and teamed up with one of their long-standing charities, the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF), to give back while they celebrated their accomplishments.
Dale Wishewan, President and CEO of Booster Juice opened the first location in Sherwood Park, Alberta, just 10 minutes east of the province’s capital. In the dead of winter, this mechanical engineer had the epiphany that Canadians would appreciate a smoothie despite the blistering cold—and he was right. Booster Juice was a new concept for Canadians who were used to the standard burger and fry options, with very few QSRs offering a nutritious alternative. Wishewan’s success only continued to grow when he opened an impressive 15 more stores in the first year, and a total of 50 in two years. “I believed this concept was going to work and we’d open multiple stores, but I had no idea we’d grow to over 400 stores,” said Wishewan.
With the rapid growth came no shortage of challenges to overcome. “We’ve had to adapt quickly to change. We had to grow a strong team that could keep up with the rate we were expanding at,” said Wishewan. With that growth also came many learnings for the company. While Booster Juice initially offered smoothies, juices, hot drinks and soups, they’ve narrowed their focus to offering premium smoothies, and expanding to offer grilled fresh food, grab and go items and Booster Balls. “There was the realization that we couldn’t be everything to everyone, and we had to focus in on and own what we were good at, and that’s delicious and unique smoothies and juices.”
Booster Juice is proud to be a Canadian born company that is now blending worldwide. They continue to take pride in offering something different—a quality product, a great customer experience and a dedication to being involved in the community. They hosted a 20th Anniversary Celebration at their stores on November 13th—a day that has always been reserved for customer appreciation. This year, customers could purchase one regular size smoothie and received a second one for just $0.99, with 100% of the second smoothie’s proceeds going to JDRF. The total that customers raised from their smoothie purchases was $32,197. In addition, Booster Juice head office donated another $1,000 to JDRF as part of a social media contest, brining the grand total to $33,197!
“JDRF would like to congratulate Booster Juice for achieving their 20th Anniversary, and we are incredibly proud of our partnership,” said Dave Prowten, President and CEO of JDRF Canada. “I want to thank the entire Booster Juice organization for helping improve the lives of people affected by type 1 diabetes.”
Some things to look forward to are upcoming reward opportunities for loyal customers, new menu offerings and more locations which continue to open in new communities. “We would like to grow to 550 locations within the next five years while also launching in new markets like the U.S,” said Wishewan. “Our goal is to solidify our position as one of the largest juice and smoothie chains in the world.” Booster Juice would like to thank Canadians for their continued support over the past 20 years, and they look forward to serving you in the years to come!
Booster Juice’s CEO is available for in-person or phone interviews—contact Karen Smola at 780 293 3064 or ksmola@boosterjuice.com for media inquiries or to schedule an interview.
A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/14e6b8c0-7561-4cbf-a83e-d31778ac2c4b