When Dunkin’ Donuts, the well-known spot for coffee, donuts, and other breakfast offerings, started rolling out a gradual name change in 2018 to remove “Donuts” from their name to emphasize how they sell more than just the doughy treat, the whole country seemed to know about it—and it inspired other companies to do the same. One of these was Jamba Juice, which began a gradual change of its name to just “Jamba”, removing the word “Juice,” beginning in June 2019. 

Jamba initially began as a chain of outlets offering fruit smoothies and freshly-squeezed orange and carrot juices. They added sandwiches and salads to their menu beginning in 2008. Ten years later, the shining stars of their menu were smoothies, smoothie bowls featuring a wide range of flavors in addition to the well-known acai and pitaya bowls, breakfast sandwiches, toast, flatbreads and oatmeal – way more than just juice. Along with the name change, Jamba revamped its menu once more—according to Business Insider, “Jamba is modifying its juice and smoothie offerings to align with current health trends. While Jamba’s classic smoothies will still be available, the brand’s new menu will emphasize juices and smoothies formulated with plant-based milks and sweeteners over dairy products and sugar.” Some of the new ingredients available in Jamba’s smoothies are coconut milk and pea protein.

The removal of “Juice” from Jamba’s name was fueled by two factors, the first being the fact that the juices and smoothies Jamba serves are only a mere fraction of their wide menu. Just how the focus at Dunkin’ has been taken away from the donuts in favor of letting the coffee and breakfast options have equal spots in the limelight along with the beloved dessert, Jamba wants to ensure that all the menu items have an equal focus. The second is that Jamba has always established itself as a “health food” brand and in recent years, the word “juice” has lost its healthy connotation with the ubiquity of processed, sugary fruit juices that provide nothing but empty calories on the market. 

Jamba is currently in the process of remodeling its 800+ worldwide locations, a project which began in June 2019 along with the name change. “Jamba’s new store design will feature displays that explain the nutritional benefits of each ingredient to consumers,” reported Business Insider. The company aspires for all its locations to have undergone their renovations by 2021.

“We’ve been offering balanced ingredients on the go for almost 30 years and must continue to evolve to meet our guests’ ever-changing definition of wellness,” said Jamba’s President Geoff Henry in a press release put out by Jamba. “We’re staying true to our heritage as an innovator in the space and refreshing the brand to stay focused on how we can make it easier, better and faster for guests to live a more active lifestyle. We’re proud to have launched the smoothie and juice category three decades ago and can’t wait to join our guests’ wellness journey for decades to come.”