Jamba Juice Company, Emeryville, Calif., said it signed a  license agreement with theInventure Group, Phoenix, Ariz., to develop a line of a blend-and-serve, frozen-fruit smoothie kits for retail grocery distribution.

"The make-at-home smoothie is an emerging category and represents perhaps the most literal extension of the Jamba brand to date," says Susan Shields, vice president for consumer products and licensing at Jamba Juice. "We want to serve the healthy habits of our consumers wherever they live and shop, and as we looked to extend the brand into this new area of opportunity, we needed a partner that understood the extraordinary quality that has made Jamba a leading name in smoothies. We're certain that teaming with the Inventure Group will provide our customers with the same great tasting and healthy-fun Jamba smoothie experience at home that they've come to expect in our stores."

The blend-and-serve smoothie kits are expected to launch in the U.S. during the first quarter of 2010 and will include a variety of fresh, frozen, whole fruit pieces, including raspberries and blueberries, fromRader Farms Inc., an Inventure Group company in Lynden, Wash. The products will feature Jamba's signature recipes, and they will be the first smoothie kits in the marketplace to include vitamin and mineral boosts.

"We are delighted to partner with Jamba Juice in the development of better-for-you, frozen smoothie kits," says Steve Sklar, senior vice president of marketing for the Inventure Group. "Jamba has a powerful brand with broad consumer appeal and this relationship offers us both an opportunity to extend our respective core competencies in the development of a unique product line. We are excited to be a part of this endeavor."

Since announcing its intent to build a licensing growth platform as part of the 2009 BLEND plan, the blueprint for the company's strategic priorities, Jamba has made significant progress in developing licensing alliances to launch new products. The company's frozen novelty products, developed through its relationship with Oregon Ice Cream, and the Jamba-branded toy blender, developed through its relationship with Think Wow Toys, are expected to hit retail shelves in late 2009.