Juice in a Pinch

The juicebox became a staple of the American household shortly after it’s invention in the 1970’s. It solved the problem of getting fresh squeezed juice into the hands of millions of people. It created an efficient way juice to be stacked, shipped and distributed. And overtime it became the most environmentally friendly way to ship large volumes of single serve juices.

But the juicebox isn’t without fault.

Early manufacturing used a large amount polyethylene before recycling tech had caught up to manage the waste. Recent incidents of mold found in pouches and juice boxes has been a PR hit. But more than that, the most relatable cultural experience with juicebox is the case of the missing straw.

The straw has always been the solution to a design that was meant to be air-tight in manufacturing. A juicebox is sterile because of the unique way it’s packaged and sterilized. The process, known as flash heating and cooling, usually takes 15 seconds before injecting juices into the boxes for final sealing. This process creates sterile packages that doesn’t even need refrigeration to stave off spoilage. But the tradeoff is that it requires a straw to puncture the inner aluminum layer.

The juicebox only works because it’s airtight. That has usually meant a straw on the outside wrapped in cellophane and glued on – usually poorly.

So, we thought differently. We thought, what if we could solve the problem of the missing straws, while simultaneously making the box more kid friendly. So we did, and we called it Juice in a Pinch.

With Juice in a Pinch, gone are the problems of lost straws, broken seals, and ruined snacks. Inspired by the angles found in Dutch Architecture, we have simplified the form into a pouch. The pouch comes with the straw already in the carton sealed twice. Break the carton’s top seal to access the straw, and rip off the top of the straw to access Minute Maid juice.

The best part? The result of the torn seal at the top is a fun snack space with perfect portions sizes for kids. With Juice in a Pinch, we have created an exciting new snacking platform. Parents can put the perfect serving size of popular snacks like goldfish and Teddy Grahams.

The design of the exterior is meant to evoke the childlike feelings of play, and invite kids and parents to enjoy a new, fun way to snack. It’s a simple way for Minute Maid to remind people that fun and family values lie at the root of our brand.

With Juice in a Pinch we are continuing the Minute Maid tradition of delicious, fun and healthy snacking by moving forward the form and design with an exciting update that fixes the case of the missing straw.