Maker of much-ridiculed $400 juicer is shuts down

The maker of a much ridiculed $400 juicer is apparently partying away at the ‘Burning Man’ festival in Nevada as his business said it was preparing to lay off employees and shutter its doors for good.

A spokesperson for Juicero said in a statement Friday that the company will be ‘suspending the sale of the Juicero Press and Produce Packs immediately’ and offering customers a full refund, according to online publication Eater. 

The product, which can be controlled remotely through wifi, was originally priced at $700. 

Doug Evans (pictured) parties at Burning Man in Balck Rock Desert, Nevada as his company closes for business

His company, called Juicero, was ridiculed on the Internet for selling a  $400 juicing machine

His company, called Juicero, was ridiculed on the Internet for selling a  $400 juicing machine

Founder of the Silicon Valley start-up Doug Evans, meanwhile, was pictured at Black Rock Desert partying it up at the Burning Man art and music festival in Nevada, which is scheduled to run until September 4.

In an Instagram message, Evans posted a picture of an unidentified man holding a flame propelled instrument, with the caption ‘Fire breathing bike dragon’ written to the side.

In another message, Evans posted a picture of a man ‘disappearing into a windstorm,’ due to to heavy sand gusts that covered the festival in dust earlier this week.

Bay area venture capitalist invested over $120 million into the idea, hailing the machine as the ‘Keurig for juice.’

But the product came under scrutiny earlier this year when consumers discovered they could simply use their hands to squeeze juice out of a bag instead of putting it through the $399 Juicero machine.  

The Juicero is a machine that squeezes packets of pre-cut produce to make healthy juices.

Juiceo told employees it would be going out of business in statement published on Friday

Juiceo told employees it would be going out of business in statement published on Friday

The company became an object of ridicule for its expensive price and the fact that customers could squeeze the juice by hand 

The company became an object of ridicule for its expensive price and the fact that customers could squeeze the juice by hand 

Venture capitalist in the Bay area of northern California  sunk a $120 million into the product

Venture capitalist in the Bay area of northern California  sunk a $120 million into the product

The packets range in price from $5 to $8 and can’t be purchased unless customers already own a Juicero machine, which costs $399.

In a last ditch effort to save the company earlier this year, Juicero executives vowed to make a cheaper version of the product

In a last ditch effort to save the company earlier this year, Juicero executives vowed to make a cheaper version of the product

But a test by Bloomberg showed that squeezing the packets by hand was nearly just as effective – and actually faster – than using the machine. 

Reporters were able to wring out 7.5 ounces of juice from the packets in a minute and a half while the machine squeezed out 8 ounces in two minutes. 

Soon after Bloomberg published its findings, the company became a social media punch line, being ridiculed for its extravagant pricing. 

In a last ditch effort to save the company earlier this year, Juicero executives vowed to make a cheaper version of the product, saying that the price for the machine and packets were ‘not realistic,’ according to Fortune Magazine. 

The company subsequently fired 25 per cent of their sales and marketing team in July. 

The company also said in the statement that they wanted ‘to express the deepest gratitude to our employees who have poured their hearts and souls into developing, launching and growing Juicero over the past 3 years.’

Full Juicero Statement:

To our loyal customers and partners,

Since our launch 16 months ago, we’ve been grateful for the support you’ve shown toward our mission of bringing more fresh produce into people’s lives. Juicero has grown so much thanks to your loyalty.

However, today, after selling over a million Produce Packs, we must let you know that we are suspending the sale of the Juicero Press and Produce Packs immediately.

In order to fulfill our mission, we announced last month that we would shift our resources to focus on lowering the price of the Press and Produce Packs. We began identifying ways that we could source, manufacture and distribute at a lower cost to consumers.

During this process, it became clear that creating an effective manufacturing and distribution system for a nationwide customer base requires infrastructure that we cannot achieve on our own as a standalone business. We are confident that to truly have the long-term impact we want to make, we need to focus on finding an acquirer with an existing national fresh food supply chain who can carry forward the Juicero mission.

For the next 90 days, we are offering refunds for your purchase of the Juicero Press. Please contact help@juicero.com by December 1, 2017 to request a refund for your purchase. If you have an active Pack subscription, you will receive your final delivery next week (week of September 4th).

As we enter this new chapter, we also want to express the deepest gratitude to our employees who have poured their hearts and souls into developing, launching and growing Juicero over the past 3 years. Words alone cannot express how humbled we are by their commitment, ingenuity and talents; they have showed true care for each other, our amazing customers and our shared mission. While this decision will affect them personally, we’re committed to ensuring a fair transition for all. We could not be more proud of our team and are excited to see the positive impact they will continue to have in the world. If your company is hiring and has interest in talking with any of our employees, please contact us at jobs@juicero.com.

In a short period of time, you’ve validated that there is national demand for easier access to fresh produce and hassle-free cold-press juicing — thank you again for coming on this journey with us.

Thank you,

The Juicero Team

 

Read more at DailyMail.co.uk