Bolthouse Farms

Bolthouse Farms, founded 1915 in Grant, Michigan, is a vertically integrated farm company located in California's San Joaquin Valley and headquartered in Bakersfield, California. The company still operates some facilities in Prosser, Washington, but shut down operations in Michigan in June 2010. Private equity firm Madison Dearborn Partners owns a stake in the company.

According to the business research company Hoover's, Bolthouse Farms is one of the United States' leading producers of carrots. Bolthouse is also a leading producer of super-premium refrigerated products.

Products

The company produces numerous refrigerated beverages including six 100% juices, two lemonades, six smoothies, and three protein drinks. They also have a Bolthouse do Brasil section, which produces three açaí berry juices.

The beverages are available in three sizes, 1 liter (33.8 fl oz) and 450 mL (15.2 fl oz). Their acai juices come in 340 mL (11.5 fl oz).

"Juices"

• 100% Carrot, 100% carrot juice.
• Pear Merlot
• 50/50 Passion
• Vedge, a Vegetable juice blend, is intended to have high fiber, potassium, folic acid, and antioxidants.
• 50/50 Berry

"Lemonades"

• Mango Lemonade

Smoothies

• Amazing Mango is claimed to be rich in antioxidants, including selenium.
  • Ingredients: Apple juice from concentrate (Water, Apple Juice concentrate), Valencia orange juice, Mango puree from concentrate (Water, Mango puree concentrate), Banana puree, Lemon juice from concentrate (Water, Lemon juice concentrate), Pineapple juice from concentrate (Water, Pineapple juice concentrate), Natural flavor, Vitamin C (Ascorbic acid), Vitamin E (Tocopheryl acetate), Calcium (Calcium lactate), Vitamin A (Beta Carotene), Iron (Ferric orthophosfate), Selenium (Sodium selenite)
• Blue Goodnessis claimed to be rich in antioxidants, fiber, vitamins C and E, and several B vitamins.
  • Ingredients: Blueberry juice from concentrate (Water, Blueberry juice concentrate), Apple juice from concentrate (Water, Apple juice concentrate), Banana puree, Blackberry juice from concentrate (Water, Blackberry juice concentrate), Elderberry juice from concentrate (Water, Elderberry juice concentrate), Inulin (as dietary fiber), Xanthan gum (as dietary fiber), Natural flavors, Vitamin C (Ascorbic acid), Vitamin E (Tocopherol acetate), Vitamin B₃ (Niacin), Vitamin B₅ (Pantothenic acid), Vitamin B₉ (Folic acid), Vitamin B₆ (Pyridoxine hydrochloride), Vitamin B₂ (Riboflavin), Vitamin B₁ (Thiamin), Vitamin B₇ (Biotin), Vitamin B₁₂ (Cyanocobalamin).
• Green Goodness is intended to have a large phytonutrient content (see green smoothie).
  • Ingredients: Apple juice from concentrate (Apple juice concentrate, Water), Pineapple juice from concentrate (Pineapple juice concentrate, Water), Mango puree from concentrate (Mango puree concentrate, Water), Banana puree, Kiwi juice, Natural flavor, Spirulina, Vitamin C (Ascorbic acid), lime juice, Broccoli, Green tea, Spinach, Barley grass, Wheat grass, Odorless garlic, Tamarind puree, Lemon Juice, Jerusalem artichoke.
• Strawberry Banana
  • Ingredients: Strawberry banana puree (Strawberry puree, Banana puree), Apple juice from concentrate (Apple juice concentrate, Water), Vitamin C (Ascorbic acid) and Natural flavor.
• Berry Boost is intended as a fruit-filled, vitamin-rich smoothie.
  • Ingredients: Berry blend (Blackberry puree, boysenberry juice, red raspberry puree, strawberry puree, blueberry puree), apple puree from concentrate (apple puree concentrate, water), natural flavors, apple juice from concentrate (apple juice concentrate, water), banana puree, vitamin C (ascorbic acid), vitamin A (beta carotene), vitamin E (as acetate), vitamin B₆ (pyridoxine) and vitamin B₁₂ (cyanocobalamin).
• C-Boost is intended as a vitamin-C-rich blend.
  • Ingredients: Acerola cherries, Apple juice from concentrate (Apple juice concentrate, Water), Mango puree from concentrate (Mango puree concentrate, Water), Natural flavors, Camu camu fruit, Zinc amino acid chelate, Vitamin A (Beta carotene), Maitake mushroom, echinacea, Vitamin E (as acetate), and Astragulus.

Protein drinks

The large Perfectly Protein bottles are labeled as having 32 grams of protein; the smaller ones, as having 19 grams.

• Perfectly Protein Vanilla Chai Tea
  • Ingredients: soy milk from concentrate (water, soy milk concentrate), cane sugar, soy protein isolate, green tea (water, green tea), natural flavor, calcium (tricalcium phosphate, carrageenan, vitamin C (ascorbic acid), magnesium (magnesium oxide), vitamin B₆ (pyridoxine hydrochloride), zinc (zinc sulfate), iron (ferrous lactate), vitamin B₁₂ (cyanocobalamin).
• Pefectly Protein Mocha Cappuccino
  • Ingredients: mocha cappuccino (low-fat milk, 100% Arabica coffee, natural flavors, vanilla extract (Madagascar), Cocoa), milk whey protein, potassium diphosphate, apple juice, pectin, carrageenan, calcium (tricalcium phosphate), vitamin C (ascorbic acid), magnesium (magnesium oxide), vitamin B₆ (pyridoxine hydrochloride), zinc (zinc sulfate), iron (ferrous lactate), vitamin B₁₂ (cyanocobalamin).
• Perfectly Protein Hazelnut Latté
  • Ingredients: hazelnut latté (low-fat milk, 100% Arabica coffee, natural flavors, roasted hazelnut extract), apple juice, milk whey protein, calcium (tricalcium phosphate), potassium diphosphate, gum acacia, vitamin C (ascorbic acid), gellan gum, pectin, magnesium (magnesium oxide), iron (ferrous lactate), zinc (zinc sulfate), vitamin B₆ (pyridoxine hydrochloride), vitamin B12 (cyanocobalamin).
• Purely Chocolate Chocolate milk made with soy milk.
• Vanilla Latte Blend of whey and casein protein.

Bom Dia antioxidant-rich juice

The açaí drinks are distributed in 340 mL (11.5 fl oz) bottles, which contain two servings of fruit, and in larger 1 L sizes. These bottles have a chart of the relative levels of antioxidants in several fruit, depicting açaí as having 472 ORAC units per gram of edible fruit, the second highest shown being cranberry, at 95.

• Açaí Berry with Pomegranate
  • Ingredients: açaí juice, pomegranate juice from concentrate, Apple juice from concentrate, guarana, Cabernet Sauvignon grape juice, natural flavors, ascorbic acid (Vitamin C).
• Açaí Berry with Mangosteen
  • Ingredients: açaí juice, mangosteen puree from concentrate, apple juice from concentrate, guarana, Merlot grape juice, natural flavors, ascorbic acid (Vitamin C).
• Açaí Berry with Blueberry
  • Ingredients: açaí juice, blueberry juice from concentrate, apple juice from concentrate, guarana, Merlot grape juice, natural flavors, ascorbic acid (Vitamin C).
  • Received top honors for its taste by *Diet.com on YouTube. The taste test video featured various Açaí Berry juice blends and other antioxidant drinks beating out Pom and Odwalla's Original Superfood.

Bom Dia energy drinks

Bolthouse recently introduced two new energy drinks to the BomDia line; they both contain 75 mg caffeine per bottle

• Transcend is made with green tea.
• Conquer is made with black tea.

Creamy yogurt dressings

Dressings made with yogurt.

• Chunky Blue Cheese
• Classic Ranch
• Caesar Parmigiano
• Thousand Island
• Honey Mustard
• Original Coleslaw
• Creamy Italian
• Sweet Poppy Seed

Olive oil vinaigrettes

Dressings made with extra virgin olive oil.

• Asian Ginger
• Chunky Blue Cheese
• Classic Balsamic
• Raspberry Merlot
• Tropical Mango

Relationship to the Bolthouse Foundation

According to The Bolthouse Foundation official website:

Mr. and Mrs. William J. Bolthouse sold their interest in Wm. Bolthouse Farms in late 2005, and since then The Bolthouse Foundation has reflected their giving decisions exclusively. The Bolthouse Foundation is a separate entity from Bolthouse Farms, and all funding decisions by The Bolthouse Foundation are made solely by the Foundation. No members of The Bolthouse Foundation have a financial interest in Bolthouse Farms, and The Bolthouse Foundation receives neither financial support nor benefits from the profits of Bolthouse Farms.

The division of Bolthouse Farms and The Bolthouse Foundation became evident in October 2008 when an article in The Los Angeles Times announced that the boycott of Bolthouse Farms had ended. The advocacy group Californians Against Hate (CAH) had urged consumers not to support Bolthouse Farms. On October 9, 2008, CAH campaign manager Fred Karger issued a statement saying that the "Don't Buy Bolthouse" campaign had ended.

Health concerns

Carrot botulism outbreak

In September 2006, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency ordered a recall of Bolthouse Farms "100 per cent Carrot Juice" and other Bolthouse Farms products because of several cases of botulism resulting from consumption of the products. On September 29, 2006, the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recommended that Georgia residents not purchase Bolthouse Farms carrot juice and warned consumers not to purchase Bolthouse Farms products stale-dated November 11, 2006, or earlier.

The warning and the recalls were due to reported cases of consumption of the beverages resulting in six cases of botulism in the United States and Canada. Two cases in Toronto, Canada resulted in paralysis; three cases recorded in Georgia, United States resulted in respiratory failure, with the patients requiring ventilators; one case recorded in Florida resulted in hospitalization. The patient in Florida was last reported to be unresponsive since mid-September 2006.

In response, Bolthouse Farms said the people may have failed to properly refrigerate the products. The US Food and Drug Administration has since ruled the Bolthouse Farm's product as Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS). Bolthouse Farms has subsequently released an FAQ regarding the event.

External links

• Bolthouse Farms Official Website
• The Bolthouse Foundation