{{Short description|American juicer company (2013–2017)}} {{use mdy dates |date=December 2024}} {{Infobox company | name = Juicero | logo = Logo of Juicero Inc.svg | image = | type = Private | industry = | fate = Closed | founded = {{start date and age|2013}} | founder = Doug Evans | key_people = Jeff Dunn, CEO 2016–2017 | defunct = {{End date and age|2017|12|1}} <!-- Closure annouced 1 September 2017, but kept paying customer service employees until December 1st (when the company officially closed) --> | hq_location = San Francisco, California | area_served = United States | products = Juicer, juice packs | num_employees = 232 | num_employees_year = June 2017 | website = {{web archive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170824175744/https://www.juicero.com/|title=juicero.com}} }}
'''Juicero Inc.''' ({{IPAc-en|dʒ|uː|ˈ|s|ɛr|oʊ}}) was an American company that designed, manufactured and sold the '''Juicero Press''', a fruit and vegetable juicer. The Juicero Press featured Wi-Fi connectivity and used proprietary, single-serving packets of pre-chopped fruits and vegetables that were sold exclusively by the company on a subscription basis. From 2014 to 2017, the San Francisco-based firm received $120 million in startup venture capital from investors.
The company attracted significant negative media attention when consumers and journalists discovered that its juice packets could be squeezed just as easily by hand as by the company's expensive juicer. In 2017, following slow sales, Juicero ceased operations and announced it was seeking a buyer for the company and its intellectual property.
==History== Juicero was founded in San Francisco, California,<ref name="bbc">{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/business-39664483|title=Juicero: Juicing boss defends $400 machine|date=2017-04-21|work=BBC News|access-date=April 21, 2017|language=en-GB|archive-date=2017-04-22|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170422122611/http://www.bbc.com/news/business-39664483|url-status=live}}</ref> in 2013 by Doug Evans, who served as CEO until October 2016, when former president of Coca-Cola North America Jeff Dunn took over the position.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://techcrunch.com/2017/01/24/juicero-2/|title=Juicero loses another member of its founding team|last=Heater|first=Brian|date=January 24, 2017|website=TechCrunch|access-date=2017-04-23|archive-date=April 25, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170425204449/https://techcrunch.com/2017/01/24/juicero-2/|url-status=live}}</ref> The company's juicing press was originally priced at $699 when it was launched in March 2016,<ref name=":1" /> but the price was reduced to $399 in January 2017, 12 to 18 months ahead of schedule, in response to slow sales of the device.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=http://fortune.com/2017/01/17/juicero-juicer-price-cut/|title=Juicero Slashes Connected Juicer Price from $699 to $399|last=Kowitt|first=Beth|date=2017-01-17|website=Fortune|access-date=April 21, 2017|archive-date=April 22, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170422034109/http://fortune.com/2017/01/17/juicero-juicer-price-cut/|url-status=live}}</ref> From 2014 to 2017, the San Francisco-based firm received $120 million in startup venture capital from investors.<ref name="bbc" />
Juicero filed a complaint in federal court in April 2017 against iTaste,<ref name="court case">{{cite court |litigants=Juicero, Inc. v. iTaste Co.|vol=|reporter= |opinion= |pinpoint= |court=United States District Court for the Northern District of California |date=April 6, 2017 |url=https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/show_temp.pl-11.pdf}}</ref> a Chinese company that made a competing cold-press juicing device, the Froothie Juisir, for allegedly infringing its patent, trade dress<ref>{{Cite news|last=Geuss|first=Megan|date=April 21, 2017|title=Juice wars: Juicero has sued another juicer maker for patent infringement|language=en-us|work=Ars Technica|url=https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2017/04/juice-wars-juicero-has-sued-another-juicer-maker-for-patent-infringement/|access-date=April 22, 2017|archive-date=April 21, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170421232806/https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2017/04/juice-wars-juicero-has-sued-another-juicer-maker-for-patent-infringement/|url-status=live}}</ref> and trademark, as well as unfair competition and unjust enrichment. The court denied Juicero's motion in October 2017.<ref>{{cite court |litigants=Juicero, Inc. v. iTaste Co., et al.|vol=|reporter= |opinion= |pinpoint= |court=United States District Court for the Northern District of California |date=October 5, 2017 |url=https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/USCOURTS-cand-5_17-cv-01921/pdf/USCOURTS-cand-5_17-cv-01921-5.pdf}}</ref>
On September 1, 2017, the company announced that it was suspending sales of the juicer and the packets, repurchasing the juicer from its customers and searching for a buyer for the company and its intellectual property.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Roof|first1=Katie|title=RIP Juicero, the $400 venture-backed juice machine|url=https://techcrunch.com/2017/09/01/rip-juicero-the-400-venture-backed-juice-machine/ |website=TechCrunch |accessdate=September 1, 2017|date=September 1, 2017|archive-date=September 6, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180906093545/https://techcrunch.com/2017/09/01/rip-juicero-the-400-venture-backed-juice-machine/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Zaleski |first1=Olivia |last2=Huet |first2=Ellen |last3=Stone |first3=Brad |title=Inside Juicero's Demise, From Prized Startup to Fire Sale |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2017-09-08/inside-juicero-s-demise-from-prized-startup-to-fire-sale |website=bloomberg.com |publisher=Bloomberg |accessdate=March 27, 2019 |language=English |date=September 7, 2017 |archive-date=March 27, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190327030920/https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2017-09-08/inside-juicero-s-demise-from-prized-startup-to-fire-sale |url-status=live }}</ref> After its collapse, the company was described in the press as a symbol of a dysfunctional Silicon Valley culture.<ref name=":3">{{Cite web |last=Reilly |first=Claire |title=Juicero is still the greatest example of Silicon Valley stupidity |url=https://www.cnet.com/culture/juicero-is-still-the-greatest-example-of-silicon-valley-stupidity/ |date=September 4, 2018 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210508144223/https://www.cnet.com/news/juicero-is-still-the-greatest-example-of-silicon-valley-stupidity/ |archive-date=May 8, 2021 |access-date=May 11, 2021 |website=CNET}}</ref><ref name=":2">{{Cite news|last=Levin |first=Sam |date=September 1, 2017 |title=Squeezed out: widely mocked startup Juicero is shutting down |url=http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2017/sep/01/juicero-silicon-valley-shutting-down |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210426070347/https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2017/sep/01/juicero-silicon-valley-shutting-down |archive-date=April 26, 2021 |access-date=May 11, 2021 |newspaper=The Guardian}}</ref>
==Design and usage== Produce packs for the Juicero press, containing blends of pulped fruits and vegetables,<ref name="geuss" /> cost between $5 and $7<ref name=":0" /> and had a limited lifespan of about eight days.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://gizmodo.com/juicero-ceo-begs-you-do-not-open-our-juice-bags-1794507811|last=Watson|first=Libby|title=Juicero CEO Begs You: Do NOT Squeeze Our Juice Bags [Updated]|date=April 20, 2017|website=Gizmodo|access-date=July 11, 2025}}</ref> Each pack had a QR code which was scanned and verified by the Internet-connected machine before it could be used.<ref name=":1">{{Cite news|url=https://www.businessinsider.com/juicer-juicer-product-review-2017-4/#each-bag-has-a-breathing-hole-to-help-the-ingredients-stay-fresh-in-your-fridge-they-also-have-a-qr-code-which-is-necessary-for-the-juicero-juicer-to-work-juicero-wanted-to-learn-from-mistakes-keurig-has-made-and-one-problem-keurig-has-said-that-other-companies-are-making-pods-for-its-coffee-maker-and-stealing-profits-juiceros-qr-codes-prevent-any-other-companies-from-making-juicero-like-juice-bags-for-its-machine-the-machine-wont-work-if-it-doesnt-recognize-the-product-it-scans-11|title=What it's like to use the $400 juicer that people are freaking out about|last=Shontell|first=Alyson|date=April 20, 2017|work=Business Insider|access-date=April 21, 2017|last2=Carson|first2=Biz|language=en|archive-date=April 21, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170421031746/http://www.businessinsider.com/juicer-juicer-product-review-2017-4#each-bag-has-a-breathing-hole-to-help-the-ingredients-stay-fresh-in-your-fridge-they-also-have-a-qr-code-which-is-necessary-for-the-juicero-juicer-to-work-juicero-wanted-to-learn-from-mistakes-keurig-has-made-and-one-problem-keurig-has-said-that-other-companies-are-making-pods-for-its-coffee-maker-and-stealing-profits-juiceros-qr-codes-prevent-any-other-companies-from-making-juicero-like-juice-bags-for-its-machine-the-machine-wont-work-if-it-doesnt-recognize-the-product-it-scans-11|url-status=live}}</ref> CEO Jeff Dunn claimed this was a safety feature to prevent packs from being used past their expiration date, and to facilitate food safety recalls, though critics felt that the feature was a form of digital rights management as it would prevent operation of the press with any produce pack not made by the company.<ref name="lee">{{Cite news|url=https://www.vox.com/new-money/2017/4/21/15376038/juicero-explained|title=Juicero, the $399 internet-connected juicer, explained|last=Lee|first=Timothy B.|date=April 21, 2017|work=Vox|access-date=April 23, 2017|archive-date=2017-04-24|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170424020852/http://www.vox.com/new-money/2017/4/21/15376038/juicero-explained|url-status=live}}</ref> Industrial design for the press was completed by Yves Behar's studio Fuseproject, based in San Francisco.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Tucker |first=Emma |date=June 1, 2016 |title=Yves Behar designs Nespresso-style countertop juicer |url=https://www.dezeen.com/2016/06/01/juicero-machine-yves-behar-nespresso-style-countertop-cold-press-juicer/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170421011223/https://www.dezeen.com/2016/06/01/juicero-machine-yves-behar-nespresso-style-countertop-cold-press-juicer/ |archive-date=April 21, 2017 |access-date=April 21, 2017 |work=Dezeen}}</ref>
==Criticism== thumb|A disassembled Juicero Press In 2017, Juicero was the target of widespread mockery and criticism after ''Bloomberg News'' published a story showing that the company's produce packs could be squeezed by hand easily and effectively, and that the hand-squeezed juice was nearly indistinguishable in quantity and quality from the output of the company's expensive press device.<ref>{{Cite news |first=Ellen |last=Huet |first2=Olivia |last2=Zaleski |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2017-04-19/silicon-valley-s-400-juicer-may-be-feeling-the-squeeze|title=Silicon Valley's $400 Juicer May Be Feeling the Squeeze|date=April 19, 2017|work=Bloomberg.com|access-date=April 21, 2017|archive-date=November 29, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171129013003/https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2017-04-19/silicon-valley-s-400-juicer-may-be-feeling-the-squeeze|url-status=live}}</ref> The company defended its product and its process, claiming that squeezing packs by hand created undue mess and promoted a poor user experience, and later offered full refunds to any customers dissatisfied with their press device.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.theverge.com/2017/4/20/15375940/juicero-full-refund-customers-ceo-jeff-dunn|title=Juicero offering refunds to all customers after people realize $400 juicer is totally unnecessary|last=Kastrenakes|first=Jacob|date=20 April 2017|website=The Verge|access-date=21 April 2017|archive-date=21 April 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170421004535/http://www.theverge.com/2017/4/20/15375940/juicero-full-refund-customers-ceo-jeff-dunn|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-04-20/juicero-offers-all-customers-a-refund-amid-critical-coverage|title=Juicero Offers All Customers a Refund|last=Huet|first=Ellen|date=April 20, 2017|work=Bloomberg.com|access-date=April 21, 2017|archive-date=April 21, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170421021642/https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-04-20/juicero-offers-all-customers-a-refund-amid-critical-coverage|url-status=live}}</ref> The Juicero device was also criticized for requiring Wi-Fi connection and an app to function.<ref name="lee" />
After taking apart the device, venture capitalist Ben Einstein considered the press to be "an incredibly complicated piece of engineering", which likely arose from a lack of cost constraints during the design process. It was described as being built to the specifications of commercial foodservice equipment and meant for heavy daily use, rather than a consumer appliance. A simpler and cheaper implementation, suggested Einstein, would likely have produced much the same quality of juice at a price several hundred dollars cheaper.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://blog.bolt.io/juicero/ |title=Here's Why Juicero's Press is So Expensive |work=Bolt Blog |date=April 24, 2017 |access-date=September 3, 2017|archive-date=November 23, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171123232743/https://blog.bolt.io/heres-why-juicero-s-press-is-so-expensive-6add74594e50 |url-status=live |first=Ben |last=Einstein }}</ref><ref name=geuss>{{cite web|url=https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2017/04/juicero-teardown-hints-at-a-very-expensively-built-product/|title=Juicero teardown hints at a very expensively built product|last=Geuss|first=Megan|date=April 26, 2017|website=Ars Technica|access-date=August 21, 2018|archive-date=October 18, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181018174946/https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2017/04/juicero-teardown-hints-at-a-very-expensively-built-product/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theverge.com/2017/4/25/15419124/juicero-teardown-reveals-surprisingly-complicated-juicer|title=Juicero teardown reveals the secrets of a wildly overengineered juicer|first=Jacob|last=Kastrenakes|date=April 25, 2017|website=The Verge|access-date=3 September 2017|archive-date=September 3, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170903164522/https://www.theverge.com/2017/4/25/15419124/juicero-teardown-reveals-surprisingly-complicated-juicer|url-status=live}}</ref>
== See also == * {{annotated link|Internet of things}} * {{annotated link|Value proposition}}
== References == {{Reflist}}
== External links == * {{web archive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170824175744/https://www.juicero.com/|title=Official website}}
Category:Food packaging Category:Food preparation utensils Category:Kitchenware Category:Manufacturing companies based in San Francisco Category:Manufacturing companies established in 2013 Category:Manufacturing companies disestablished in 2017 Category:Food and drink companies based in San Francisco Category:Food and drink companies established in 2013 Category:Food and drink companies disestablished in 2017 Category:2013 establishments in California Category:2017 disestablishments in California Category:Juice Category:American companies established in 2013 Category:American companies disestablished in 2017 Category:2017 in Internet culture Category:Internet of things