Innocent's losses quadruple as £200m electric smoothie plant fails to supply

Innocent's sales fell by £15.6m last year. Photo: Denis Mikhalev/Alamy Stock Photo .telegraph.co.uk/bf9d6e5b-66f7-4e03-960e-b22dc811149c.html?direct=true&id=bf9d6e5b-66f7-4e03-960e-b22dc811149c' class='tmg-particle audio-player wrp-bf9d6e5b-66f7-4 e03- 960e-b22dc811149c' name='Innocent's losses quadruple as £200m electric smoothie plant fails to deliver' data-business-type='editorial' loading='eager' Scrolling='no' Frameborder='0' style='width: 100%; min-width: 100%; border: none; position: static; display: block; padding: 0px; margin: 0px; height: 32px;'>

Innocent's losses more than quadrupled after the smoothie maker suffered production problems at its new £200m all-electric plant.

Sales fell by £15.6m last year, Innocent has blamed rising costs for its efforts to ramp up production at The Blender's plant in the port of Rotterdam, new reports show.

Innocent has opened. plant in 2021, touting it as one of the world's first zero-carbon beverage plants.

However, rising costs for everything from energy to logistics and ingredients in 2022 have resulted in a «slower-than-expected» increase in production at the plant.

Innocent Chief Operating Officer James Davenport said: «The combination of these factors meant our supply chain was unstable and impacted our ability to meet our customers' demand.»

Fewer shoppers were also buying branded smoothies and juices as a result of the cost of living crisis, he added.

Innocent's operating loss widened from £9.5m to £41.3m in the year to December 31, 2022, accounts show.

Directors wrote in their accounts that 2022 was «possibly one one of the most challenging years for business.»

Innocent's factory in the port of Rotterdam, dubbed «Blender»; Photo: Innocent

Mr Davenport said The Blender's business had stabilized in 2023.

An Innocent spokesperson said: «We have always known that the ambitious nature of Blender, our Rotterdam factory, was going to require significant upfront investment.

» Not only will this enable us to transform the long-term profitability of the business, but it will also be one of the first to world of all-electric plants for the production of renewable energy, and will also become a model for the future of sustainable production.»

Founded in 1999 by three Cambridge University students Richard Reid, Adam Bailon and John Wright, Innocent originally started out as a smoothie stall at music festivals.

It sold an 18% stake in the business. in 2009 to Coca-Cola for an undisclosed sum, and then a further 38% in 2010, which was believed to have cost the soft drinks giant around £76 million. The Coca-Cola Company took full control of the company in 2013.

Innocent prides itself on its ethical and environmental practices, using recycled plastic in its bottles and sustainably sourced fruits and vegetables in its drinks.

However, he has been accused of greenwashing in the past. In 2022, the UK's advertising watchdog ruled that advertising for its drinks, which claimed that purchasing them would have a positive impact on the environment, was misleading.

Innocent said that at the time the advertising reflected its more broad environmental goals and was designed to encourage recycling.