Planet Smoothie facts for kids
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| Private | |
| Industry | Food and beverage |
| Founded | 1995 Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. |
| Headquarters |
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U.S
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Number of locations
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125 |
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Area served
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United States |
| Products | Smoothies |
| Parent | Kahala Brands |
Planet Smoothie is a popular American chain of stores that sells delicious smoothies. It is one of the largest smoothie companies in the United States. The company started in 1995 in Atlanta, Georgia. Today, Planet Smoothie has more than 100 locations where you can grab a refreshing drink.
Contents
How Planet Smoothie Started
Early Days and Growth
Planet Smoothie was founded in 1995 by Martin Sprock. It quickly grew into a well-known place for smoothies. People loved their tasty and healthy drink options.
Changes in Ownership
Over the years, Planet Smoothie has joined forces with other companies.
- In November 2011, a company called Tasti D-Lite LLC bought Planet Smoothie. Tasti D-Lite also runs stores that sell frozen desserts.
- Later, in June 2015, a big company called Kahala Brands bought both Planet Smoothie and Tasti D-Lite. Kahala Brands owns many different fast-food and treat chains, like Blimpie and Cold Stone Creamery. This deal brought 128 Planet Smoothie and Tasti D-Lite stores under Kahala Brands.
- Now, both Planet Smoothie and Tasti D-Lite are managed from the Kahala Brands main office in Scottsdale, Arizona.
Expanding to New Countries
In August 2022, Planet Smoothie started opening stores in Australia. Four new locations opened across Victoria within the first year. This helped the company share its smoothies with even more people around the world.
Fun Advertising Campaigns
The Cup Man Tour
In 2007, Planet Smoothie launched a fun advertising campaign. They wanted one person to become "Cup Man," their special brand character. This person would travel across the country.
The "Good for You, Good for the Planet" tour went from Orlando to San Diego. Cup Man traveled in a special biodiesel-powered ice cream truck. The goal was to teach people about being environmentally friendly.
Finding the Best Cup Man
To find the perfect Cup Man, people had to send in videos. They explained why they would be the best Cup Man for the 30-day trip. Joel Moss Levinson from Dayton, Ohio was chosen as the winner.
Joel wrote a catchy song for his winning video. It included lines like "I wanna be your Cupman" and "I’m environmentally responsible, I recycle, reduce and reuse, that’s why I want to drive your car that runs on biodiesel fuel." Joel received many online votes and became the touring Cup Man.
Joel has since won many other contests. He has even been featured in The New York Times and on TV shows.
Caring for the Environment
Eco-Friendly Efforts
Planet Smoothie has always tried to be kind to the planet. In 2008, they used cups made from recycled polystyrene for their smoothies. They also offered a reusable "MacDaddy" travel mug. This helped reduce waste.
Looking for New Ideas
The company even sponsored a contest to find new ideas. They wanted inventors to create an eco-friendly cup material. This new material needed to keep smoothies frozen, just like the old cups did.
Joining Forces with Tasti D-Lite
After Planet Smoothie was bought by Tasti D-Lite, some stores changed. They started offering both smoothies and soft serve frozen desserts. This gave customers even more choices when they visited the stores.
