Katherine LeBlanc, Smoothie King's director of brand marketing, identifies the ways smoothies are evolving in a market focused on healthy and active lifestyles.

Every year, there are trends that dominate the food industry. So far, 2016 hasn’t been an exception—consumers’ ever-growing interest in living out healthy and active lifestyles has been the driving force behind endless menu innovations and limited time offers.

Smoothie King, which is known for being at the forefront of the booming smoothie industry, has always thrived off its mission to offer guests nutritious snack and meal-replacement alternatives. It’s an initiative that’s resonated with all kinds of consumers. For fitness fanatics, smoothies can be a go-to way to get fast-absorbing protein into their bodies. For customers who are simply watching what they eat, smoothies can be an ideal meal-replacement option because they can deliver essential vitamins and minerals—often with fewer calories.

Now that health and wellness are the biggest trends shaping the future of the smoothie segment, Smoothie King is capitalizing on its position as the leader in the industry.

“At Smoothie King, our guests’ purpose is just as important as the ingredients they’re looking for in a smoothie,” said LeBlanc. “We’re seeing more demand for our purpose-driven products, especially our Wellness and Slim Blends. For example, people are really excited to get their greens deliciously with our Veggie Blends.”

The smoothie segment is continuing to evolve and respond to trends across ingredients and lifestyles as a result of this heavy focus on health and staying active. As the industry continues to move forward throughout the rest of the year, it’s likely that brands will continue to position themselves as healthy, nutritious alternatives.

Smoothie King is able to stand out in its crowded market—and stay ahead of the curve— because of its commitment to becoming an integral part of its guests’ daily routines. The brand has been creating recipes that complement a healthy and active lifestyle for more than 40 years, giving it insight into the industry and consumer trends that can’t be found anywhere else. Its smoothies are also consistently well received by both customers and local franchisees because of the brand’s proven model.

“At Smoothie King, we follow a smoothie launch release process to ensure the product promotions are set up for success from the beginning. Our franchisees know they have a dedicated home-office staff working to deliver new product news, and it shows in the results,” said LeBlanc. “Our franchisees are passionate about Smoothie King’s mission of inspiring a healthy and active lifestyle, so when the brand delivers a great product in line with our mission, the excitement is there.”

That excitement extends beyond the brand’s current menu and limited time offers—Smoothie King is constantly looking for new flavors and trends that are going to have an impact on the industry down the line. Because there are nearly 800 Smoothie King locations across the globe, the brand’s able to utilize best practices from hundreds of local communities across its entire franchise system.

“As Smoothie King continues to expand internationally—this year in Dubai and Trinidad—we’re constantly exposed to the ingredients people are using to make smoothies across the globe. It’s an exciting time to see the brand grow and experiment with flavors that our U.S. guests will enjoy,” LeBlanc said.

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