Jump Juice prides itself on serving up fresh juices and smoothies packed full of key nutrients. Managing Director Charlie Scanlon tells us about two decades of building a compelling range that customers adore.
Charlie, you founded Jump Juice in 2003. What inspired you to launch the business?
My wife Claire and I have always been huge advocates of healthy eating, so the concept of developing a juice bar was initiated when we came to find it increasingly difficult to find healthy, ‘ready to go’ food and drink choices when out and about. At the time – 2001/2002 – the market was reacting in larger cities such as Dublin and Cork, but options were still quite limited and very expensive, not to mention in many instances, unappetising.
We knew we wanted to take our passion for nutritious, tasty food and solve this problem, not only for health-conscious individuals like us, but also to make it easy for consumers across the board to make good choices. We identified juice as a great place to start! Juice and smoothies taste great, while also being a source of our required daily nutrients, and there was plenty of scope for us to come up with an impressively versatile menu with options to suit everyone.
How did you come up with the name Jump Juice?
The name came up early one morning after a juice. We were trying to put words on how the concept and the product would make people feel and we hit upon Jump, which evokes movement, happiness, and positive energy, all of which we try to build into the different elements of our brand.
Talk to us about the philosophy and influences behind your menu.
Putting so much emphasis on research before we opened the first Jump Juice Bar was the best start to our journey. It opened our eyes to the businesses doing it right and the businesses we felt could be doing it better. We agreed from the get-go that firstly we wanted to source as many ingredients as we could locally, and secondly minimise as much waste as possible and I’m proud to say we have stuck to both of these golden rules since.
What do you think makes the menu offerings at Jump Juice so unique?
Two decades of learning from, listening to and responding to our customers has helped us create a compelling range that customers adore. Whether it’s our Smoothies made with our custom locally made Jump Juice Frozen Yogurt, or fresh juices using quality fresh fruit and vegetables, our made fresh to order policy using natural ingredients resonates with customers.
The coronavirus has caused huge disruption and challenges for many businesses over the past year. How has working with Just Eat helped Jump Juice overcome those challenges?
When we entered lockdown in March 2020 and realised this was going to be for more than two weeks as originally speculated, our thoughts immediately turned to our 150 colleagues and our customers. We had been working for a number of years on the equipment and packaging that would enable the perfect delivery of our juices and smoothies so that customers could have the store-bought taste experience at home. Our Marketing and Operations teams fast-tracked this project with our packaging supplier. The end result was a sealed cup that delivered a product that tasted as good as what you get in store.
Fueled by that confidence in the packaging solution we got back open for delivery in May with Just Eat. Critically, this enabled us to get some of our colleagues back to work and reach our customers again. It was heartwarming to receive the immediate positive customer feedback on how good the product tasted when delivered and gave everybody a great shot in the arm to realise we can get through the challenges covid brought.
In addition to your incredible juice and smoothie range, you’ve recently launched a great new selection of crepes. If someone was to order from Jump Juice on Just Eat for the first time, what would you recommend?
Heading into the summer I really like our Tropical Fruit based smoothie Mango Passion which has Mango, Passionfruit, Peach, OJ & Jump Juice Mango frozen yogurt. Combine this with a Fruity Fun crepe of Strawberries, Banana & Belgian choc pieces and it will not disappoint.
What’s your own favourite item on the Just Eat menu?
For me it would be one of our Protein Smoothie range and a close call between our Protein Punch and Gym Nut, both of which have 30g of protein in the delivery size. We’ve two new additions coming to the Protein Smoothie menu – Beach Bod and Warrior – and these will challenge my favourites!
When it comes to takeaway food, sustainable packaging is becoming an increasingly important issue for suppliers and customers alike. What steps are Jump Juice taking in this area?
Part of our perfect delivery philosophy included ensuring our packaging was fully sustainable. The delivery cup can be recycled fully and as it uses virgin paper, it can be recycled more often.
We use a paper straw which is fully compostable, while the delivery bag is fully recyclable. We also sell a range of reusable merchandise including metal straws, reusable cups and water bottles.
What areas in Dublin do you deliver to?
Blanchardstown, Castleknock, Clondalkin, Lucan, Swords, Malahide, Rathfarnham, Dundrum and the City Centre.
Is there anything we haven’t covered that you’d like readers to be aware of?
There is a built in QR code in each delivery cup and we are planning to have some fun with this over the summer with links through to competitions, games and much more, so check that out. And finally, a huge thank you to all our customers for sticking with and supporting us. Have a great summer!
You can now order from Jump Juice for delivery to your door on the Just Eat app.
