Why Trader Joe's Smoothies Might Taste So Familiar

Unless you reside in one of the U.S. states that don't have a Trader Joe's, you've likely wandered into the establishment and checked out its impressive bevy of company-labeled goods. The store's bottled juice smoothies are a particularly popular item, and if you've tried some of them and noticed a familiar taste, there's a good reason: The maker behind some of those T.J. fruit smoothies is reportedly the Naked Juice Company.

While Trader Joe's primarily offers products under its own label, like many retailers, the company doesn't actually create its own branded items. Instead, the chain uses private labels on merchandise made by other manufacturers. Costco is a noted example among chains that do this. Costco sources its organic flour from a Utah company and its other Kirkland products from various makers. Like Costco, Trader Joe's is tight-lipped about which brands' products are beneath its labels, but word still manages to get out.

In terms of T.J.'s bottled smoothies, two of them have been identified as Naked products by multiple news outlets and former Trader Joe's team members. One, the Very Green 100% Juice Smoothie, has an ingredient list that bears a striking resemblance to that of Naked's Green Machine drink. Trader Joe's Mango 100% Juice Smoothie similarly shares a doppelganger ingredient label with Naked's Mighty Mango.

Something else similar between the twin products are their price points. Naked's 15.2-ounce Mighty Mango retails for $2.97 at Walmart, while Trader Joe's sells its 16-ounce Mango 100% Juice Smoothie for $2.99. A customer does get slightly more product for the money at Trader Joe's (0.8 ounces more), which is one reason the company says it labels goods the way it does.

Per the Trader Joe's website, the grocery chain purchases merchandise directly from suppliers, and the company also keeps prices low by not charging fees to those companies for carrying their items, as many other retailers do. T.J.'s reports it also engages in rigorous negotiating to get the lowest possible prices, so those savings can be passed on to customers. The company additionally makes volume purchases and forges early contracts to lock in low costs.

Before you head out to get your bottled smoothie, armed with new knowledge about where the drink likely came from, bear in mind that Tuesday and Wednesday mornings are the best weekdays to shop at Trader Joe's if you want to avoid the crowds. (Conversely, weekends are the worst times to hit the store.)