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January 2011 Newsletter

Health & Fitness
10 Healthy Snack Foods

When snacking you want to make sure you are both satisfying your belly and nourishing your body. Make sure to stick to high-protein, healthy carbs and fiber to keep you feeling fuller longer without the spike in blood sugar.

If you are craving something salty try these foods:

Food Should Taste Good Chips – made with all natural ingredients and available in 3 delicious flavors: Sweet Potato, Multi-Grain, Jalepeno

Ostrim Sticks are made with both ostrich and beef making them an extra lean snack for kids and adults

Snacktrition offers almonds, cashews and other healthy nuts mixed with sea salt or dry roasted

If you are craving something sweet:

Peeled Snacks offer the perfect satisfaction for any sweet craving – choose from an assortment of dried fruit, and dried fruit and nut mixes

Froose whole grain fruit snacks are a fiber rich, gluten free, low sugar alternative to candy and other fruit snacks – great for kids and adults

Any one of our Low Sugar smoothies including Fruity Supreme, Island Breeze, Pacific Splash and the Zip Zip.

Stop by a location nearest you to stock up on snacks for your kids’ lunch box or your office desk.

Did You Know

A healthy heart is the golden ticket to a longer, healthier life. Make sure to keep your heart in optimal health by keeping your cholesterol and blood pressure down.

Here are a few quick tips to help:
1) Cut out bad fats and eat good ones like omega 3’s, olive oil and canola oil instead. You can find essential oils in fish, nuts and lean cut meats.
2) Whole grains are essential to lowering your risk of cardiovascular disease. So, eat your oats!
3) Reduce your salt intake. Increase levels of sodium in the diet can lead to high blood pressure. Try reduced sodium options or add just a pinch yourself instead of heavily salting your food.
4) Exercise! Get up and get moving! The best way to strengthen your heart and contribute to your overall health is by exercise. Try to walk, run, hike or bike at least four times a week

Product Highlight: Bee Sure
Bee Sure is a drink mix you can put in smoothies or other liquids containing over 200 nutrients! Bee Sure is made up of whey protein concentrate, bee pollen, Hawaiian spirulina and Siberian Ginseng.

These ingredients combined, do a body good. Whey protein concentrate helps repair and build bones and tissue; building muscle and promoting fat loss. Bee pollen is rich in protein, amino acids, enzymes and co-enzymes and essential fatty acids. Spirulina is mostly known for its anti-ageing benefits. However, it is also an energy boost and helps detoxify the body. Last but not least Ginseng is associated with mental and physical health and assists in the absorption of vitamins and minerals in the body. It also aids the body in eliminating toxins and resist daily stress factors.

Bee Sure is an easy way to make sure you get healthy and stay healthy. Visit your local Emerald City Smoothie to check it out for yourself.

Bee Sure All Natural. (2009) True Organics USA Site. Retrieved from http://www.trueorganicsusa.com/beesure.html

Customer Chat

Linda writes:

“My nephew was in a car wreck around Thanksgiving and he went into Emerald City Smoothie and they bent over backwards to help him. They gave him suggestions on things to help him stay healthy and not lose weight while he had his jaw wired shut. Thank God for Emerald City Smoothie.”

Fueling the Denver market with nutritious and delicious meal replacement smoothies

October 13, 2010 // Franchising.com // DENVER, CO – The uncertain economy has proven to be no match for the $2 billion smoothie industry. Emerald City Smoothie, best known for helping consumers live healthier lifestyles, is pleased to announce the opening of their first location in Denver.

Located at 760 South Colorado Blvd., the new store will present health conscious appetites with fresh and healthy smoothies along with on-the-go meal alternatives and nutritional supplements. Being committed to providing only the best products available, Emerald City Smoothie offers a large selection of dietary supplements, healthy snacks, proteins, beverages, and bars to support your healthy eating habit.

"With the active lifestyles of consumers in the Denver market, we are thrilled to open the first Emerald City Smoothie, fueling the local appetite with nutritious and delicious meal replacement smoothies," said Adam Peterson, local owner of the Denver store. "Emerald City Smoothies offers an alternative to fast food and helps consumers reinforce any exercise regimen or health goals."

Local entrepreneur and health enthusiast Adam Peterson has spent the past 10 years working in the sports industry and has always been involved in helping people achieve their lifestyle goals. Throughout his career, Peterson has observed the growing demand for products that promote an active and healthy lifestyle for Denver residents. Opening an Emerald City Smoothie in Denver presents Peterson with the ideal opportunity to fulfill his desire of opening his own business while enhancing the everyday lives of their customers.

"When it comes to smoothies, meal alternatives and nutritional supplements, we use fresh fruit and only the highest quality ingredients, each helping you reach a personal health goal, along with enjoying a unique taste sensation," added Peterson.

Unlike most smoothie concepts where smoothies can add up to 1,000 calories, Emerald City Smoothie products have less than 400 calories and four grams of fat. Best known for their uniquely blended smoothies – combining fresh fruit, high quality proteins and nutritional supplements – Emerald City Smoothie is dedicated to helping consumer's lead healthier lifestyles by offering nutritional smoothies without compromising on taste. Each Emerald City Smoothie recipe is designed to help reach a health or lifestyle goal, from boosting immune systems and giving energy, to losing weight and building muscle.

All of Emerald City's Smoothies are created to order from the freshest ingredients. The menu features smoothie favorites such as The Power Fuel, - Energizer, and Tropical Paradise. Customers can also be treated to meal replacement options such as Lean Body, and the Lean Out.

For more information or to contact Emerald City Smoothie of Denver, call Adam Peterson at (303) 757-7557 or visit www.emeraldcitysmoothie.com.
About Emerald City Smoothie

Emerald City Smoothie is a Seattle-based franchise best known for their uniquely blended smoothies that combine fresh fruit, intense flavors and nutritional boosters. Since their launch in 1996, the company has taken steps to ensure that every location provides the same taste, quality, friendly and knowledgeable service for all their customers. Whether looking to lose weight, build muscle, or just picking up a nutritious meal replacement, each smoothie is designed to reach a health goal or a taste sensation. Today, the company boasts more than 60 locations throughout the United States and plans to have more than 100 operating stores by the end of 2017. For more information on Emerald City Smoothie, visit www.emeraldcitysmoothie.com.

Source: Emerald City Smoothie

From http://www.franchising.com/pressreleases/17445/

Emerald City Smoothie Newsletter August 09

Check out our latest newsletter with health, fitness and product information!

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Emerald City Smoothie grows by thinking small
Christa Hoyland Editor

10 Jun 2009

Emerald City Smoothie is one quick-service brand that is getting creative as it seeks to expand in a tight credit market. The 63-unit chain, located primarily in the Northwest, is focusing on a variety of tactics to appeal to franchisees, from store design to its franchise marketing efforts.

Julie Vance, vice president of operations for Emerald City Smoothie, said the company had already been developing a kiosk store model before the downturn. But with credit tight, the smaller, less expensive unit has become popular with existing and prospective franchisees.

The kiosk model reduces the buildout cost by about 50 percent, Vance said. Many of the units are being located inside large fitness centers or other complementary businesses to reach the brand's core customers.

The brand's healthy meal replacement smoothies appeal to fitness customers and have helped the company be somewhat recession resistant.

"We continue to see incremental growth, and it's really related to the overall wellness industry and its growth," she said.

Franchisees are opening one or two kiosk stores a month, with the speed of opening dependent upon finding the right location more than obtaining credit, Vance said.

Another new design is an inline store with a much smaller footprint than the chain's traditional 1,000-square-foot units. The smaller units are designed for high-traffic locations and also reduce the buildout costs. That design also is appealing to franchisees because its speeds up the time to open as well as offers a faster return.

"When you're spending half, it's much easier to improve your return on investment," she said.'

Franchise incentives

Emerald City Smoothie also is offering several incentives as it markets to potential franchisees. One is a buy-one-get-one-free offer, which offers a free kiosk location to operators who also open a standalone unit.

Although the $20,000 savings is a good value, Vance said the program has not been as successful as the company had hoped, largely due to fewer franchisees wanting to operate more than one store as well as the tightened credit market.

An incentive program that has drawn interest is the company's master franchisee focus. The intent is to open up new territories and offers franchisees the rights to develop locations in an entire region or state.

Industry growth prospect

Alisa Harrison, spokeswoman for the International Franchise Association, said it's become more common for franchisors like Emerald City Smoothie to adapt their programs to help franchisees obtain the necessary financing. Such flexibility is an example of the entrepreneurial spirit inherent to franchising.

"We still expect that franchising will continue to outpace growth of other businesses," she said. "It's just that many may not be growing as fast as we have seen in the past. But the model of the way of expanding your business and growing your business certainly is true in good times and in bad."

Emerald City Smoothie Opens in Edmonds Harbor Square Athletic Club

By Pat Ratliff
The Beacon

If you have a hankering for a smoothie but also want to be sure you are eating only healthful food, I have a suggestion for you.

Emerald City Smoothie, located at 160 W Dayton St. in Edmonds (that’s right – it’s inside the Harbor Square Athletic Club) has just opened and is available for members and non-members alike. You don’t have to be a member to partake of these world-class smoothies, they are right inside the door.

Emerald City Smoothie offers fresh, healthy smoothies as a meal substitute, a snack or a healthy treat. The smoothies use no syrups as flavors, only fresh fruit, and contain about 30 percent less sugar than similar products. They are being received very well in the community.

“Response from members here in the Harbor Square Athletic Club has been phenomenal,” Ken Park, owner, said. “Everyone has welcomed us with open arms.”

The problem so far is not enough people know it’s there.

“I’m hoping people in the surrounding area can become aware of who and where we are,” Park said. “The concept is there, we just have to get the awareness out. We’re the only ones available whose main focus is on nutrition.”

Because Emerald City Smoothie replaced a coffee bar in the health club, they still serve coffee and espresso drinks but everything else is nutrition related. Power-type bars, baked chips and yogurt and fruit – there’s a lot to choose from.

Owner Ken Park recently opened two Emerald City Smoothie locations, his other one is in Bellevue. The two franchise locations were part of a two-for-one special package offered by the parent company. Park was in the computer business for the last 25 years, working at Microsoft for the last 10 years.

Park welcomes all residents of Edmonds to come down and try his smoothies and “see the difference.”

Emerald City Smoothie rolls out nutrient-enhanced coffee

By Sonya Moore

MERCER ISLAND, Wash. (April 8, 2009) Emerald City Smoothie, a 65-unit chain based here, is rolling out a new weapon in the coffee wars: a cup of joe that not only wakes you up but gives you a burst of energy as well.

Since February, the smoothie chain has introduced its JavaFit coffee line to 18 units, with three stores debuting the nutrient-enhanced coffee product this week. The JavaFit line features four different types of drip-coffee products that are nutrients enhanced, including the Diet, Energy Plus, Immune and Multi-Vitamin coffees.

Before February, Emerald City did not offer coffee on its menu. In March, the chain expanded its hours to better compete with other chains making a run at the breakfast daypart. Jamba Juice earlier this year rolled out a steel-cut oatmeal product, as did Starbucks. In March Seattle-based Starbucks also began offering its “breakfast pairings” value deals for under $4.

A 16-ounce serving of JavaFit coffee is priced at $1.50. Customers can request the coffee with soymilk, or add other protein and nutritional boosters for an additional 75 cents per boost. Guests can also request to blend the coffee with any smoothie on Emerald City’s menu.

“We are a company that was founded out of the Seattle, Washington, market; we’re obviously in the neighborhood of many well-known coffee locations so many of our customers look for coffee,” said Julie Vance, Emerald City’s vice president of operations. “We’re also in an environment where the weather fluctuates, not everyone wants a smoothie in the dense Seattle weather.”

The chain also is offering 2.5-ounce packs of ground JavaFit coffee as a retail item available in stores for $3.50. Emerald City also launched last November a protein-based oatmeal product aligned with cereal brand Kashi Co.

Vance said that the JavaFit items are being introduced to Emerald City locations where such products make sense, such as freestanding units and those found within gyms.

“You get that audience and they need something to give themselves energy that’s healthy — those were natural picks,” Vance said.

Vance said that Emerald City already has seen an increase in morning traffic at locations that offer the coffee products. “We’ve seen a trend of people coming in, grabbing coffee in the morning and visiting lunchtime for a smoothie, which is a perfect scenario,” she said.

Emerald City two months ago also introduced a loyalty program and the chain is exploring the introduction of such new products as healthful sandwiches and wraps by the end of the year.