Coca-Cola has increased its share in innocent, the UK’s much-loved smoothie brand.

The UK’s much loved smoothie brand innocent has accepted an offer from Coca-Cola to increase its share in the company, but says it will retain control and continue in its mission to make only natural, healthy food and drink.

College friends Adam Balon, Richard Reed and Jon Wright set up innocent in 1998 after selling their home-made smoothies at a festival. With a private-investor on-board, the first ever innocent smoothies went on public sale in 1999.

Coca-Cola expressed a clear interest in the company when it bought a small volume of shares over a year ago and its latest acquisition paves the way for two of innocents original investors to take retirement.

innocent’s founders said that while they are delighted with the support and investment from Coca-Cola they will remain firmly in the driving seat when it comes to controlling the company, with Coca-Cola remaining a hands-off investor.

Richard Reed, co-founder of innocent said: “This deal is good news  for all parties  -  it allows our original  investors  to  retire and  realise  the value  they  helped  create,  Coca-Cola  gets  to  increase  its  investment  in  the  business  and we strengthen our relationship with a partner that can help our international expansion.

“Importantly for us, the founders, we keep the majority of our shares and will continue to run the business with full operational control.”

James  Quincey,  Coca-Cola’s  Business  Unit  President  for  Northwest  Europe  and  the Nordics, added:   “We are excited to invest further in innocent’s future.  We have long admired their brand and their products and believe in the business’s long-term growth potential.   Our relationship is working well and the founders will continue to lead the business.  We will do all we can to help innocent make its products available to more consumers in Europe.”