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Cheribundi
Company typePrivately held company
IndustryFoods
Founded2004
FounderJohn Davey
HeadquartersPortland, OR
ProductsCheribundi tart cherry juice and juice concentrates
WebsiteCheribundi.com

Cheribundi is a Boulder, Colorado-based private manufacturer of Cheribundi brand tart cherry juice beverages and concentrates. Tart cherry juice is marketed to amateur and professional athletes for its natural concentrations of phyto-nutrients and antioxidants, reportedly beneficial in reducing muscle soreness and joint inflammation.[1]

The company was founded in 2004 by John Davey.

History

Cheribundi was initially founded as CherryPharm in 2004 by John Davey, a Wall Street banker who quit his job in 2006 to focus on the cherry drink startup.[2] He worked with Cornell University food scientist Olga Padilla-Zakour, the director of Cornell's Food Venture Center (FVC) in Geneva, to develop an all-natural tart cherry juice. The resulting product was named CherryPharm, and the drink retained what are believed to be pain-prevention and muscle-damage recovery properties of sour cherries.[3] The company began manufacturing its juice at the Cornell Agriculture and Food Technology Park at the FVC in Geneva.

From 2009 to 2013, Brian Ross served as CEO.[4]

In May 2012, the company closed a $4.5M round of equity funding, and was by then being reportedly carried by 3,000 grocery stores.[5] Later that year, CherryPharm rebranded as Cheribundi.[6]

In 2013, the company hired Steve Pear as CEO. Pear previously worked at Odwalla, part of the Coca-Cola company.[4][7]

In 2016, the company invested more than $4 million to relocate its facilities to the former Tops Friendly Markets on New York State Routes 5 and 20, directly creating 35 new jobs as part of the "Finger Lakes Forward" initiative.[8]

In 2017, the company moved into its new Geneva location.[2]

In June 2019, the company announced Mike Hagan would be taking over as CEO.[9]

In January 2020, the company announced it was moving manufacturing to Shelby, Michigan.[2] In February, it was announced that the company was contracting manufacturing to Shelby-based fruit processor Peterson Farms, to reduce processing costs and for easier access to Michigan's Montmorency tart cherries.[10] In September, the company announced that CEO Mike Hagan had left the company, and that the CEO role was not going to be immediately filled.[11] In November, the company raised $15 million in a Series B funding round led by private investment firm Emil Capital Partners.[11]

In April 2022, Cheribundi announced Deebo Samuel, Lindsey Horan, Tyrese Haliburton, and Michaela Onyenwere as the brand's first-ever athlete investors.[12]

Products

Bottle of Cheribundi tart cherry juice

The company's main product line is tart cherry juice, with the original version containing 200 cherries per 32 fluid ounces, and 160 cherries in the "light" version. Cheribundi's 100% Tart version contains one ingredient (tart cherries), is not from concentrate, and has no added sugars. Juice is distributed in 8 and 32-ounce bottles.[13] In 2021, the company introduced tart cherry juice concentrates, available in convenient, on-the-go pouches and 32-ounce bottles.

The positive effects of tart cherry juice are thought to be the result of phyto-nutrients and antioxidants, such as anthocyanins, melatonin and quercetin. These compounds occur naturally and are in high proportion in deeply colored fruits, such as tart cherries.[14][15]

Cheribundi is distributed at stores across the United States, including retailers such as Wegman's, Publix, Kroger, Safeway, Meijer, and Whole Foods. In addition to online sales, the company sells to over 400 professional and collegiate sports teams, including the Anaheim Angels, Boston Red Sox, New York Giants, New York Knicks, New York Mets and New York Rangers.[16][11][17][18]

Research

Tart cherries similar to those used in Cheribundi drinks have been the subject of much research, with studies conducted by third parties and research institutions including the British Journal of Sports Medicine, the Journal of Nutrition, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, the VA Medical Center, and the University of Pennsylvania.[1][19][20][21] Researchers at Oregon Health & Science University studied tart cherries and found cherry juice could replace nonsteroidal anti-inflammatories, without triggering side effects, including gastrointestinal bleeding.[22] The company has promoted these studies as indicating that consumers of their beverages will receive a wide range of health benefits against muscle fatigue and joint inflammation.[23][1] Consuming Montmorency cherries, used to make Cheribundi, also reportedly improves gut health by stimulating the growth of good bacteria.[24]

Corporate sponsorships

Cheribundi was the title sponsor of the Boca Raton Bowl, an NCAA College Football bowl game, through the 2019 season.[25] The company has also partnered with the team nutritionists of sports teams, and has sponsored professional athletes such as Aly Raisman, the McCourty Twins, Devin McCourty and Jason McCourty, Team Crossfit Mayhem and Mayhem Teams, and Trey Wingo, host of ESPN Golic and Wingo, NFL PrimeTime, and SportsCenter specials on ESPN.[26][27][28][29][30] Cheribundi was also the official juice partner of the Arthritis Foundation's "Let’s Get a Grip on Arthritis"[31] and is a sponsor of the Collegiate and Professional Sports Dietitians Association (CPSDA).[32]

References

  1. ^ a b c Lobby-Havey, Mackenzie (2017-03-29). "Tart Cherries Are Aiming For The Superfood Throne". Triathlete.com. Triathlete Magazine. Retrieved 17 August 2018.
  2. ^ a b c "Juice maker departure the pits for Ontario County". Democrat and Chronicle. January 29, 2020. Retrieved February 22, 2021.
  3. ^ McCandless, Linda (August 14, 2006). "Sour power: Entrepreneur teams up with Cornell food scientists to create sports drink using tart cherries". Cornell Chronicle. Cornell University. Retrieved 19 June 2018.
  4. ^ a b "Ross Leaves Cheribundi; New CEO Odwalla's Steve Pear". BevNET. June 10, 2014. Retrieved February 22, 2021.
  5. ^ "CherryPharm gets $4.5M boost". Rochester Business Journal. May 11, 2021. Retrieved February 22, 2021.
  6. ^ "Cheribundi Cheers Cash Infusion, Steers Toward Retail". BevNET. April 4, 2014. Retrieved February 22, 2021.
  7. ^ Menayang, Adi (February 10, 2016). "Anthocynanin-packed tart cherry beverage reaches non-athlete audience". Foodnavigator USA. Retrieved 19 June 2018.
  8. ^ "Investment Complements "Finger Lakes Forward" – Region's Successful Upstate Revitalization Initiative Blueprint to Grow the Economy and Create New Opportunities". New York State Governor's Press Office. October 6, 2016. Retrieved 19 June 2018.
  9. ^ "Cheribundi Announces Changes to Executive Leadership". BevNET. June 27, 2019. Retrieved February 22, 2021.
  10. ^ "Peterson Farms picked to process Cheribundi tart cherry juice". Michigan Farm News. February 21, 2020. Retrieved February 22, 2021.
  11. ^ a b c "Cheribundi secures $15 million investment". Food Business News. November 24, 2020. Retrieved February 22, 2021.
  12. ^ "DEEBO SAMUEL, LINDSAY HORAM AMONG FIRST ATHLETES INVESTORS IN CHERIBUNDI". Cheribundi. Retrieved 2023-02-28.
  13. ^ "Supplier Finder". BEVNET.com. BEVNET.
  14. ^ Anaya, Courtney. "4 BEST MUSCLE-RECOVERY DRINKS". muscleandfitness.com. Muscle & Fitness. Retrieved 2 July 2018.
  15. ^ Sherwood, Julie (July 23, 2016). "Tart cherries, sweet reward". GateHouse Media.
  16. ^ "Meet the sports nutritionist who keeps Angels players' diets in shape". Halos Heaven. January 22, 2021. Retrieved February 22, 2021.
  17. ^ "Red Sox Team Performance Dietician Glen Tobias: 'Most Important Meal Of Day Isn't Breakfast, It's Right After Your Workout'". CBS Local. November 3, 2020. Retrieved February 22, 2021.
  18. ^ Deckert, Andrea (November 1, 2013). "Cheribundi squeezes out more growth". Rochester Business Journal. Bridgetower Media. Retrieved February 17, 2021.
  19. ^ Cutcliffe, Tim (November 2, 2017). "Tart Cherry Juice May Help You Get a Good Night's Sleep: Study". Nutraingredients USA. Retrieved 19 June 2018.
  20. ^ Connolly, DAJ; McHugh, MP; Padilla-Zakour, OI (2006). "Efficacy of a tart cherry juice blend in preventing the symptoms of muscle damage". British Journal of Sports Medicine. 40 (8): 679–683. doi:10.1136/bjsm.2005.025429. PMC 2579450. PMID 16790484.
  21. ^ McHugh, Malachy; Kwiecien, Susan (2016). "Tart Cherry Juice Consumption as a Potential Treatment for Migraine Headaches". Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise. 48: S187. doi:10.1249/01.mss.0000485732.68343.44. Retrieved 19 June 2018.
  22. ^ "How cherries can provide juicy pain relief". The Coloradoan. January 15, 2016. Retrieved February 22, 2021.
  23. ^ Cespedes, Andrea (October 3, 2017). "The Recommended Amount of Tart Cherry Juice You Should Drink". Livestrong. Livestrong.
  24. ^ Maya-Apaza, Alba C.; Pottgen, Ellen; De Bodt, Jana; Papp, Nora; Marasini, Daya; Howard, Luke; Abranko, Laszlo; Van de Wiele, Tom; Lee, Sun-Ok; Carbonero, Franck (September 2018). "August 8, 2017". The Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry. 59 (September 2018): 160–172. doi:10.1016/j.jnutbio.2018.04.001. PMID 30055451.
  25. ^ Kirshner, Alex (December 1, 2017). "College football's Boca Raton Bowl is henceforth called the CHERIBUNDI TART CHERRY BOCA RATON BOWL". SB Nation. Retrieved 19 June 2018.
  26. ^ Editorial Staff (2018-07-09). "Cheribundi Partners with Over 220 Sports Teams". BevNet. Retrieved 10 July 2018.
  27. ^ Molloy, Matt (August 8, 2017). "Olympian touts locally made juice drink". WHAM Rochester New York.
  28. ^ Ban, Sarah (May 11, 2017). "Olympic Gymnast Aly Raisman Can't Function Without Tart Cherries". Organic Authority.
  29. ^ "Exhibitor News: NFL Stars McCourty Twins Blitz at Cheribundi Booth". Specialty Food Magazine. Specialty Food Association. 2014-06-25.
  30. ^ "Trey Wingo Joins Cheribundi As Brand Ambassador". BEVNET. October 29, 2014. Retrieved 19 June 2018.
  31. ^ Villines, Claire. "The Arthritis Foundation Asks Americans to Support Its "Lets Get a Grip on Arthritis" Campaign Until a Cure is Found". Retrieved 10 July 2018.
  32. ^ Sagers, Dan. "Cheribundi Juices". CPSDA.com. CPSDA. Retrieved 24 July 2018.
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