Why we built an on-site yoga studio

Hi Jolyon! Tell us about your business

Juice is a fun and dynamic mobile phone accessories brand that creates high-quality, vibrant and sustainable products for the tech-savvy mobile generation.

I founded Juice on the principle that everything the business does is kind to the planet, including the people on it. My mantra of “just doing the right thing” refers to our commitment to sustainability and social responsibility, as well as wellness and mindfulness amongst all Juice employees.

Over the last 12 years, we have constantly evolved and innovated to appeal to a more demanding and eco-conscious consumer base, allowing us to thrive in one of the most competitive markets.

What’s it like to work at Juice? How important is employee wellbeing?

As a business, we work hard to build amazing relationships with every single person who plays a part in what we do, and we view everyone as equal partners. This mentality is part of what makes us who we are – we naturally attract people who share this culture and want to work somewhere where they feel as if they are helping with a cause that means something to them.

Everyone at Juice has their ideas and opinions (including any objections) heard and valued. In fact, I actively encourage all employees to speak up and know that their thoughts and feelings are respected and appreciated.

I take all feedback seriously and do what I can to ensure everyone is comfortable at work – both physically and mentally – because without the team we’ve got, we wouldn’t be able to do what we do, and we wouldn’t have got to where we are today.

Do you have any wellbeing initiatives in place?

As a yoga enthusiast myself, I introduced free yoga classes for the team back in 2022.

In February this year, we launched our new ‘Flourish’ initiative, consisting of different activities and events designed to improve the health and wellbeing of everyone at Juice. A local yoga business hosts classes three times a week in our on-site yoga studio at our Banbury HQ, while a number of other classes including martial arts, HIIT training and boxercise are being trialled – one of which will also be introduced on a weekly basis.

We also invite an expert speaker to our HQ once a month as part of our Cultural Fridays campaign to discuss topics focused on health, fitness, culture and wellbeing, with local food vendors providing lunch for all staff.

We plan to continue building on these initiatives, so all Juice colleagues will have access to exercise every day, including yoga, meditation and a sound bath experience – all from our purpose-built distribution and warehouse centre.

Why yoga? Are you doing anything else to promote this passion?

Yoga is at the heart of Juice. I strongly believe that the practice of yoga is almost the antithesis of “corporate life” – the addition of yoga creates an endless ripple of positivity in the corporate world and, in typical Juice fashion, why wait for the rest of the world to catch up when we can be the change we want to see?

We are solidifying this by funding the construction of a fully kitted out yoga studio in a separate section of Juice HQ where local yoga business ‘The Temple of Yoga’ will be based full-time. To be clear, there is no commercial gain for Juice with this venture – I want to use Juice HQ to support a local business and give them the resources they need to share their practice with as many people as possible.

Juice will use the space for our scheduled yoga classes during the workday and The Temple of Yoga will be offering more classes to Juice employees outside of work hours, free of cost, in addition to running paid/free classes for the public and local community. The back end of the studio will be renovated into a seating area/presentation room for Juice’s monthly Cultural Friday events.

My hope for the future of this collaboration is that yoga becomes a desired incorporation in other office environments.

Juice is also an advocate for sustainable practices – when did your sustainability journey begin?

I founded Juice on the principle that the business would not do any damage to the environment. In 2020, we made the switch to 100% recyclable packaging, however, we recognised that we needed to go one step further in our mission to be kinder to planet Earth. We wanted to help reduce the amount of ‘virgin’ plastic in the world, so we turned our attention to the plastic used within our products themselves. They were not single-use, but they were still made using virgin plastic which was a big ‘no’ for us.

So, in April 2022, we launched the Juice Made Mindfully campaign and began manufacturing every single product line using 100% recycled post-consumer waste collected from oceans, beaches and landfill sites, and re-introducing them to market.

In doing so, we ensured that there was no compromise on quality or cost for the consumer. Every single one of our products looks, feels and performs exactly the same – or better.

What milestones have you achieved? What are you most proud of?

When we made the switch to 100% recycled packaging, the cost of goods went up between 5-10% on average, however, we made the decision to absorb that cost internally and keep our prices static. This was ultimately the right decision, because within the first 6 months we saw sales of our cables grow by 21% and power banks by 61%. We saw a 12.5% increase in overall sales just two months later, with our market share doubling between December 2019 and December 2020. 

After introducing the Juice Made Mindfully campaign, we became the first mobile phone accessories manufacturer in the UK to eliminate ALL virgin plastic from our products – and we did this five months ahead of schedule.

Since this initiative was introduced three years ago, Juice has saved 261 tonnes of plastic, including 109 tonnes in 2023 alone.

Are you involved in any other charitable initiatives?

In April, we launched our eco-conscious Animals range in partnership with wildlife charity, the Born Free Foundation. Inspired by critically endangered species, 20% of all profits from the range are being donated to Born Free to help support their work in ending the exploitation and suffering of animals living in captivity and the wild.

In August, we took part in Born Free’s ‘Walk on the Wild Side’ campaign and walked 23,000 steps to represent the 23,000 lions left in the wild. We raised almost £2000 for the charity’s vital projects including anti-poaching initiatives, habitat restoration and community education.

During Mental Health Awareness Week this year, we decided to launch our ongoing ‘Million Messages of Hope’ campaign. This will incorporate messages and quotes written by influential individuals within the packaging of a million Juice products to be sold across the UK. We recognise the significant impact that positive affirmations can have on mental wellbeing, so we want to use this to spread joy to our customers. We are currently in the process of collecting these quotes, so watch this space!

Can you tell us about some of your most recent product launches?

Last year, we launched our energy-saving Smart Plug, designed to reduce standby energy usage by as much as 1000W per day – the equivalent of running a TV for 50 hours – helping our customers save up to £60 per year on energy bills.

Our Animals range – created in partnership with the Born Free Foundation – is the only range we’ve designed and created specifically for the younger demographic, and it’s the first time we’ve partnered with a charity of this kind. Inspired by four critically endangered and legally protected species – the Giant Panda, Sumatran Tiger, Grevy’s Zebra and Snow Leopard – the playful collection consists of charging cables, plugs, speakers and headphones.

Where is the business today?

Juice has remained the market leader in the UK since 2021. Everything we’ve done and continue to do has been for the consumer – from pushing our fully recycled/recyclable products to keeping our prices exactly the same due to the cost-of-living crisis. We strongly believe in “doing the right thing” and this is a mantra we promise to continue to live by!

We believe our ongoing success is not only due to our sustainable products themselves, but also our consumer-centric packaging and messaging, including the steps we have taken – and are continuing to take – to do the right thing in helping protect our planet. We have a genuine passion for what we do, and more specifically, how we do it. Not only do we work tirelessly to design and create brilliant tech, but we do it in a way that will have a positive impact on the world.

Do you think other tech brands are doing enough when it comes to sustainability?

As the first mobile phone accessories manufacturer to remove all single-use plastic from our products, the Juice Made Mindfully campaign has been groundbreaking for the tech industry, and we’re keen for other companies to follow in our footsteps.

We want businesses to take more accountability for the amount of unnecessary plastic still used in their products – specifically tech accessories. The more steps we take in this direction, the more positive impact we’ll have on the planet!

We fully understand that we cannot single-handedly create a waste-free world, but we are adamant that if everyone starts by making the smallest of changes, eventually we can make a big difference.

What’s next for Juice?

We want to take the Juice Made Mindfully project to another level and focus on personal renewable energy. Whether it's using wind or solar power, we want to continue creating products from post-consumer waste, however, we want to go one step further and begin to regenerate power to charge our electronic devices.

Ultimately, we will continue to achieve our sustainability goals through resilience, determination, creativity and the core belief that if everyone starts by making the smallest of changes, eventually we can make a big difference. Juice aims to fly the flag for sustainable technology whilst consistently developing products that make a real impact on consumers’ lives.

Jolyon Bennett, founder & CEO of Juice

Juice offers a diverse range of products including Lightning and USB cables, energy-efficient power banks, wireless charging devices, portable Bluetooth speakers, headphones and super-fast charging plugs packaged in the brand’s iconic Juice ‘cartons’.

All products are available to purchase via www.juice.co.uk, as well as from a number of retailers including Tesco, Amazon, Argos and Sainsbury’s.