Juice pouches from Laguna Hills startup Fun Quenchers are hitting stores.
The 3-year-old company has found its first major customers in SuperValu Inc.’s Albertsons and Smart & Final Inc.
Cofounder and Chief Executive Linda Frank said she’s focusing on launching her brand on both coasts before moving into Middle America.
“If you can capture those markets, there’s a very good chance of really making it,” Frank said.
The juice boxes, which are marketed for kids, are made with a spout so drinkers can reseal them for use later.
With a price of $3.29 to $3.99, Fun Quenchers can be a bit pricier than competitors such as Kraft Foods Inc.’s Capri Sun, which sells for $2 to $3.69.
Part of the higher cost comes from vitamins added to Fun Quencher’s juice, as well as packaging, according to Frank.
The eight-ounce resealable pouch is what really sets Fun Quenchers apart from competitors who typically offer six-ounces, Frank said.
The pouches are made at a plant in City of Commerce with a $600,000 machine. Those machines only are made in Europe, putting a stumbling block in front of any easy expansion plans, she said.
Frank started the company with her husband Brent Frank. The two worked together for seven years in a distribution company for makers of nutrition bars and energy drinks.
“We got sick of it and decided to make our own brand,” she said.
Brent’s experience in the machine tool industry as a manufacturing representative has been a big help to their production, Linda said.
Ultimately, the Franks want to sell the company. They are looking to pool together more growth financing on top of the $1.5 million they used to get the company up and running.
But it’s still too early to tell how well Fun Quenchers will fair in Southern California.
Before that, the pouches were sold to small chains of grocery stores for a year where larger operators watched their progress before deciding if they wanted to stock them.
Electric Trucks
Electric truck maker Balqon Corp. in Santa Ana is hoping to be a big beneficiary of a push for alternative fuels.
Last month the public company sold its first 25 trucks to the Los Angeles Harbor Commission for $5.7 million.
Balqon makes electric trucks and tractors designed to haul loads 10 tons to 50 tons.
Low emissions from Balqon’s trucks, which are designed for use in shipping yards and warehouses, make the vehicles attractive alternatives to the company’s diesel competitors.
The Port of Los Angeles and South Coast Air Quality Management District provided $527,000 to build and test a prototype of the truck.
Its factory in Harbor City employs about 45 workers, but Chief Executive Balwinder Samra says he’ll soon hire more.
Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa has been one of Balqon’s biggest fans, driving a truck off the assembly line at its factory opening ceremony last month.
The trucks cost about 20 cents a mile to operate compared to 80 cents to almost $2 per mile to run diesel trucks, according to the company.
Samra wants to target shipping yards that are looking to phase out diesel trucks as prime
customers.
“We haven’t even scratched the surface here,” he said.
Samra also sees retailers as potential customers who could use the trucks for their warehouses.
The truck is designed for short hauls, and it can pull 60,000 pounds of cargo at a top speed of 40 miles an hour. A single battery gives it a range of 30 to 60 miles.
The company is working to get approval for five on-road versions of its truck. Ultimately, Samra wants to compete with freeway trucks.
The truck’s parts are 100% American made, according to the company.
Its Nautilus E30 costs about $210,000 and can haul cargo from the port to the rail yard. The Nautilus E20 costs about $190,000 and makes shorter hauls from ships to nearby lots.
Indian-born Samra, 46, founded the company with two engineers in 2005 from his garage in Aliso Viejo.
He came to the U.S. in 1980 and has two decades of experience making electric cars.
He chose to make the company publicly traded as a way to maintain control over it. It’s listed as a bulletin board stock with a market value of about $65 million.
