Drazil Foods

In my Biochem class, we’d start out each class period with “Nutrition in the News”. It was an opportunity for us to share recent news articles we’d come across that were nutrition-related, whether it be The Economist stating that raw honey can cure skin rashes; Science Daily talking about how pistachios can reduce lung cancer risk; or General Mills announcing that Fruit Loops will be labeled a “Smart Choices” breakfast cereal (which has since been revoked, for obvious reasons!).

So today I am sharing with you my “Nutrition in the News”.

The Minnesota Cup is an annual competition for entrepreneurs. Over 1,000 business ideas are submitted, and winners receive, among other things, seed capital ($20,000), legal and accounting services, presentation consulting, and publicity.

The 2009 General Division winner was Christine Wheeler, who is starting a company called Drazil Foods. If you are a mom or a dad, pay attention, because this may be something you want to look out for!

Wheeler’s goal was to come up with a tea-based drink for kids, so they can benefit from the antioxidants found in teas typically consumed by adults. She spent four years creating and testing her drink, and the end product is a tea-based 100% juice for kids. There is no other product like it on the market.

Formerly a Nestle employee, Wheeler is expecting Drazil Foods (“lizard” spelled backwards!) to compete with Nestle’s Juicy Juice and other 100% juice products. All tea-based juices will be caffeine-free, and they will contain, in addition to the antioxidants, vitamins, minerals and amino acids. The juice will be packaged in boxes and bottles.

What do you think? I think it could work. I am not a mom. But if I was a mom, and I was walking down the juice aisle and my choices were Juicy Juice or Drazil Foods juice, I’d go for the one with the tea antioxidants.

I like the idea of introducing kids to herbal teas, because tea is so healthy and if they enjoy it at a young age they may be more likely to choose tea over coffee as teenagers and adults.

The old juice philosophy was to dilute it with water so kids aren’t getting too much sugar. But who knows – when Drazil Foods juice hits store shelves, it could be a huge success and Wheeler could hit her predicted $44 million in revenues. Look for it sometime in 2010 at your local grocery store!