February 13, 2025

Shiplord

Technology Loves You

M’sian fruit juice brand is shutting down & seeking buyers

Seeing Smooshie Juice’s movie from the Alliance Financial institution BizSmart Obstacle 2013, it felt like the pure juice brand was in this article to keep. The co-founders, Lee Hai Lin and Reduced Wan Chiun, were being formidable, bold, and brilliant. At the end of the video clip, Lin even mentioned, “the sky’s the limit.”

Nine several years down the road, it looks that the duo has met the sky. Co-founder Lin advised Vulcan Write-up the workforce has determined to shut down Smooshie Juice.

That isn’t to say that Smooshie Juice has not been fruitful all through the previous ten years. Far from it.

For a person, Smooshie Juice experienced shut ties with Boost Juice Bars for a extensive time, providing to their kiosks for yrs. The juice was also stocked in supermarkets these kinds of as Ben’s and Family members Mart. The company was even approached by cinemas and airways to offer juices as properly.

Smooshie Juice was invited to the launch of Facebook Malaysia / Picture Credit rating: Smooshie Juice

“At our peak, we provided some 45 cafes/restaurants all-around KL and the Klang Valley, and even in Penang,” Lin shared. “We’ve also had a ton of genuinely neat gigs, giving juices to launches and huge functions, this kind of as the start of Facebook Malaysia.”

So, presented its bountiful monitor history, how did it all drop aside?

Initial, let’s rewind

Lin and Wan Chiun are childhood buddies who examined in Australia in advance of relocating again to Malaysia. They discovered a hole in the market place for pure fruit juices and as a result give up their total-time jobs, pouring their efforts into Smooshie Juice.  

“Both of us experienced certainly no encounter in F&B or running a company, so it was nuts!” Lin shared. “We truly did not know what to count on, but we believed that Malaysia needed excellent good quality, pure juices as there are so numerous delightful local fruits readily available below.”

After months of R&D, they last but not least opened a retail outlet in Berjaya Time Square in April 2011. In the beginning, folks were being not applied to the juice. Some would complain that they weren’t sweet enough and increase packets of sugar. Having said that, the breakthrough finally arrived when Smooshie Juice decided to offer to cafes as an alternative.

“We analyzed out the juices at some cafes that we had contacts with, notably The Purple Beanbag and Artisan Roast Café,” Lin described. “The juices ended up a hit, and we realised that café clients have been our goal industry, so we shut down our retail outlet and centered on distribution in its place.”

But it wasn’t adequate

It wasn’t just one particular massive thing that built Lin and Wan Chiun choose on allowing Smooshie Juice. It was extra of a blend of various components.

To start with of all, the improve in the price tag of goods, primarily raw substances, built a major influence on Smooshie Juice, which depends on 100% pure elements.

Co-founder Lin claimed that before Smooshie Juice, the juices currently being bought in supermarkets were being higher in sugar or manufactured of concentrates with extra preservatives / Graphic Credit: Smooshie Juice

The organization has experienced to increase the value of its juices a couple instances about the many years thanks to value inflation, and that led to the loss of source partners.

Although the team could have extra drinking water or concentrates to the juice to reduce price, they refused to compromise on the high quality of the juices.

“We felt that going down that route would defeat the goal of our existence in the first location!” Lin stated.

But yet another huge explanation why Lin and Wan Chiun are contacting it a day with Smooshie is due to their private commitments. The two founders lately grew to become initially-time mums. Hence, they’ve had significantly less time to aim on the small business.

Nonetheless, it is an incredible feat to have lasted this very long. On top of trim and effective functions, the innovativeness of the crew is to be highly regarded way too.

Smooshie has also diversified from just juices to merchandise this sort of as yoghurt, kefir, and slice fruit. It has also collaborated with other manufacturers to generate new items. Through the MCO, the enterprise also utilised web promoting to provide the juices as cafes were shut and there were no events.

It’s time to go on

The breaking point came when the team was contacted by their customised bottle provider, who explained to them there would be a 30% maximize in bottle selling prices.

Co-founders Lee Lin Hai and Very low Wan Chiun / Graphic Credit score: Smooshie Juice

This paired with the enhanced costs of fruits and greens created the firm realise a enormous improve would be essential to keep Smooshie working. It was a improve that neither Lin nor Wan Chiun could cope with presented their new roles as mums.

Lin and Wan Chiun are thus trying to keep an eye out for anybody who’s eager and able to go on Smooshie’s dream to make healthier juices obtainable to Malaysians. Lin thinks there is a lot of possible for Smooshie Juice provided its knowledge, personnel, devices, contacts, products, and list of existing consumers.

“All which is essential is some funding and men and women with the same drive, passion, and perception that we experienced 10 a long time ago when we were being younger,” she completed.

For now, the two founders are focused on their very own people, waiting around for an individual to breathe new life into Smooshie Juice.  

  • Discover extra about Smooshie Juice listed here, and if you’re fascinated in getting in excess of the business, you can contact them in this article.
  • Read through more articles we’ve prepared about Malaysian startups below.

Showcased Graphic Credit score: Smooshie Juice