Why did “Ekina Mixed Juice” spread? The origin of mixed juice is said to be in the Kansai region. It is said that mixed juice originally originated from a fruit store in Shinsekai, Osaka (now called “Senariya Coffee Shop”), which started offering mixed juice some time after the end of World War II. After that, in Osaka, mixed juice was either sold at high-class coffee shops or at juice stands in Hanshin Umeda Station (now Umeda Mixed Juice, opened in 1969), and it was not available, at least not inexpensively, at nearby train stations. In 2000, Juicer Bar opened a juice stand to make mixed juices more accessible to customers, and although the price was only 180 yen per glass (at the time), the company was particular about the taste of the juices when it opened the stand, including asking a French chef for his help in deciding on the right combination of fruits. The “Juicer Bar” received an unexpected boost at this point. The popular Kansai local TV program “Gokigen! Brannieu,” a popular Kansai local TV program, commercialized mixed juice as a canned beverage, and the program received high viewer ratings. Branyu,” a popular local program in the Kansai region, recorded high viewer ratings for a project to commercialize mixed juice as a canned beverage, and awareness of this unknown Osaka specialty soared. In the course of the project, it was discovered that the canned beverage could not be sold as “juice” if milk was added to the mix. The host, Masashi Tomizuka, said, “Why don’t we just call it ‘Mikkujuju’ or something like that? (Manufacturer: Japan Sangaria Beverage Company. The product was such a big hit that sales exceeded 1 million cases in three months. Note that this rule does not apply to products manufactured and served in stores, such as “juicers,” and they can proudly call themselves “mixed juice. People who drank “Mixed Juice” in this way asked, “Where can I get the real thing? They sought out the “juicer bar” and rushed to it. Thus, Juicer Bar grew into a highly profitable business, averaging 2,000 drinks a day, with annual sales of 120 million yen and an operating profit margin of approximately 20%. Since it was possible to open a juicer bar in a space of only 5 tsubo (3.5 square meters), railroad companies, which were planning to make effective use of station space, requested to open juicer bars one after another, and franchise contracts increased. Some of them were converted to “Honey’s Bar” and expanded their power in the Tokyo metropolitan area……. In this way, the “Ekina Mixed Juice” brand has spread nationwide in just 20 years, with the two brands competing and expanding. Even as competition gradually emerged among the brands, Honey’s Bar procured a wide range of ingredients, including “norabo-gai” from the Suga district of Kawasaki City and “okesa persimmons” from Sado Island, and actively launched limited-time-only products. The company has captured a new base of supporters. In a sense, “HONEY’S BAR” was a typical East Japan Railway business, as it was able to obtain information on rare local ingredients and stock a wide range of products from the Kanto, Tohoku, and Koshinetsu regions.
© Source travel watch