POM Wonderful

POM Wonderful, LLC

File:Pom Wonderful logo.gif
Company type	Privately held company
Industry	Foods
Founded	Unknown
Headquarters	Los Angeles, California, United States of America
Key people	Stewart and Lynda Rae Resnick; Matthew Tupper (President)
Products	Fruit juices, tea, dietary supplements, fresh pomegranates
Website	www.pomwonderful.com

POM Wonderful, LLC is a privately owned company and brand of pomegranate juice, advertised as one of the most powerful naturally-occurring antioxidants. It is sold in distinctive double bulb-shaped clear plastic bottles. Its taste has been described as similar to cranberry juice. The company was founded by Stewart and Lynda Rae Resnick of the Roll International Corporation, who first became interested in pomegranates after purchasing a farmland property that included 100 acres (0.4 km²) of pomegranate trees in 1987.[1] For the first few years, the Resnicks simply sold their pomegranates, but eventually decided to begin producing and selling pomegranate juice as well. The company first released its pomegranate juice products beginning in 2002.[2]

POM Wonderful is made from the "Wonderful" variety of pomegranate, which is grown in the central and southern San Joaquin Valley of Central California.[3] The variety has a particularly sweet flavor in comparison with other varieties. The company's products include bottled pomegranate juice (reconstituted from concentrate, with added natural flavors) and juice blends (pomegranate juice blended with either blueberry, cherry, mango, or tangerine) in various sizes, as well as fresh pomegranates (which are available only when in season). The company also sells bottled tea infused with antioxidants derived from pomegranates. In an effort to further expand the popularity of its products, the company has also hired a mixologist to create a pomegranate martini (Abelson 2006). Recently, the company started commercializing a concentrated polyphenol extract called POMx that is produced from the fruit using a proprietary process; this extract contains the same polyphenols as found in pomegranate juice [4].

In 2007, POM Wonderful launched a 100% pomegranate dietary supplement called POMx.[5] The supplement, which is available in both pill and liquid forms, can only be purchased directly through the company’s [website] and is not sold in retail stores. POMx is a super-concentrated form of the same polyphenol antioxidants found in the company's pomegranate juice, and it is also used as an ingredient in POM Tea. [6] A single teaspoon of POMx liquid concentrate has the same polyphenol antioxidant content as 8 ounces of 100% pomegranate juice. [7]

The pomegranates used to make POM Wonderful’s products come from the 14,000 acres (57 km²) of California orchards owned and farmed by the company, most in the area of San Jose.[8] This makes POM Wonderful the only vertically integrated player in the pomegranate business. [9] The pomegranates are picked by hand to avoid damaging the delicate fruit. Each 16-ounce bottle contains the juice of five and a half pomegranates, with most of the fruit being used ranging between 1/2 to 3/4 pound. In addition to farming the land, the company also operates its own pomegranate juicing facility, which uses custom-designed equipment to mechanically extract the juice from the freshly picked fruit, maximizing the content of polyphenol antioxidants while retaining the pomegranate's unique taste characteristics. This same facility also produces POMx by a proprietary, patent-pending method.

POM Wonderful is affiliated with Roll International Corporation of Los Angeles, California, as well as Teleflora and FIJI Water, and, until 2006, the Franklin Mint. Although POM Wonderful does not disclose its profits, Newsweek magazine reported annual sales of its juice have risen from $12 million in 2003 to $91 million in 2006.[10]

In 2007, POM Wonderful was profiled on the Food Network program Unwrapped.

Packaging

POM Wonderful's products are known for their distinctive packaging. In addition to its trademark double-pomegranate plastic juice bottle, the company now offers a multi-serve bottle with its own distinctive style. From the front, this 48-ounce bottle looks identical to POM's three-pomegranate 24-ounce bottle. However, from the side it reveals a rectangular footprint with a full-size handle. The company's single-serve tea bottle also features a unique design; the tea comes in a drinking glass that can be re-used after consuming the tea. [11]

Sponsorship of research

Since its inception, POM Wonderful has provided funding in excess of US$20 million to support scientific research into the health giving properties of Wonderful variety pomegranates. [12] This research has been conducted at leading universities around the world, including UCLA; Johns Hopkins; Tufts; University of Naples (Italy); Technion Institute (Israel); and the Universities of Colorado and Wisconsin. [13] Twelve human clinical studies investigating POM Wonderful juice and extracts have been published in peer-reviewed medical journals. These preliminary studies showed promising results in conditions including heart disease, prostate cancer, diabetes, and erectile dysfunction. [14] Additional research on these and other health areas is ongoing.

Animal testing controversy

POM Wonderful has spent over US$20 million (a nearly unprecedented amount for the food industry) to fund research into the health qualities of pomegranates. [15] In some of the studies it has sponsored, researchers have used animal testing. In response, the company has received some negative publicity from animal rights activists, including following a campaign in 2006 sponsored by the animal rights group PETA, and supported by actress Pamela Anderson.[16] In the face of criticism, POM Wonderful remained steadfast and even brought suit in 2006 against a group of activists who aggressively protested their actions.[17]

On January 17, 2007, Stewart and Lynda Resnick announced in a letter[18] to POM Wonderful retailers that POM Wonderful would cease all further animal testing (besides an experiment scheduled to continue through June 30, 2007), after Whole Foods Market threatened to withdraw the product from its shelves.[19] At the time the company did not state whether they would rule out shifting the funding of future animal testing to the Stewart and Lynda Resnick Trust or another entity they control.

In late January, 2007, PETA announced the end of its campaign against POM Wonderful when the company provided final assurances that none of its affiliates would fund animal testing either.[20] As of March 2007, POM Wonderful's official website continues to cite numerous animal and other studies as evidence of the health benefits of pomegranates.[21]

References

• Abelson, Jenn. "Pomegranate Sows Seeds of Popularity." The Boston Globe, December 10, 2006, Metro section, p. A1.
• Garrison, Jessica. "Activists Target Juice Company." Los Angeles Times, September 10, 2006, Metro section, Part B, p. 6.
• Mozingo, Joe. "Santa Monica and FBI Target Animal Activists." Los Angeles Times, November 3, 2006. Metro section, Part B, p. 4.

External links

• POM Wonderful official site
• POM Wonderful page
• POM Wonderful news coverage
• "A Winning Equation" by Andrew Murr, Newsweek, August 7, 2006