Valedo, SEB and Armada (Denmark)

For those who think they are too busy to have their five a day, a freshly squeezed fruit juice is the perfect solution for a fresh and natural snack. This is exactly what Joe & the Juice, a Danish chain of juice bars offers to customers: a healthy fast food concept in an innovative and funky environment.

Kaspar Basse, a Danish entrepreneur, had long been interested in the health benefits of fresh juices when he noticed that the “juice bar” concept was gaining momentum around the world. So in 2002, Kaspar and a university friend founded the first Joe & the Juice shop in Copenhagen, Denmark, responding to the demand from local fruit juice lovers.

Joe & the Juice bars offer freshly squeezed juices and smoothies as well as coffee and sandwiches in a trendy setting backed by a team of “friendly juicers”. The founders wanted to focus on offering customers friendly surroundings combined with healthy products. Every single detail is thought of: before becoming a professional “juicer”, staff members have to go through an all-encompassing in-house J&J Academy training, enabling them to make fresh food and beverages in front of customers.

The investment by Valedo, SEB and Armada, an EIF-backed mezzanine fund, has enabled an accelerated pace of expansion since 2013. The Danish company currently employs over 400 people and has grown from 47 bars at the end of 2013 to close to 100 bars by end of 2015. The majority of the bars are located in the Nordic region, mostly in Denmark. The company is also expanding to the UK, Germany and most recently also in the US. In addition to wholly-owned stores, Joe & the Juice has franchise agreements in France, Singapore, and Iceland. Joe & the Juice plans to double the amount of shops by end of 2017.

Company: Joe & the Juice, Copenhagen, Denmark

Type of business: Chain of juice bars

For further information about EIF intermediaries in Denmark, please refer to:
http://www.eif.org/what_we_do/where/dk