How Jumex is transforming its 40-year brand legacy in the US into a bold, multi-category and multi-channel growth platform
Celebrating real fruit, authentic flavors, and continuous innovation, the story behind Jumex is one of passion and progress. Established in Mexico in 1961, Jumex was founded with a vision to deliver the highest quality fruit beverages, and it has since grown into one of Mexico’s largest privately held beverage companies. Since its first product, an apple nectar packaged in the iconic ‘little blue can,’ Jumex has grown to offer an extensive beverage portfolio. In the US, that portfolio spans from Strawberry Banana Nectar and Hibiscus Aguas Frescas to alcoholic offerings under the Jumex Hard Nectar brand.
Although Jumex has been present in the US for more than 40 years, Jumex USA was formally launched in 2024 to strengthen the company’s presence in the US while building on the solid foundation already established by Grupo Jumex from Mexico. Jumex USA’s focus is on bringing new ideas to market, exploring adjacent categories, and connecting with evolving consumer segments through a locally driven approach. To learn more about Jumex and its US expansion, we speak with Carlos Madrazo, Country Manager USA. “At our core, we are a fruit company,” Carlos opens. “In the US, that starts with our iconic fruit nectars, executed at scale with our sister company and distribution partner, Vilore. Our nectars are the foundation. To fully tap into the potential that the Jumex brand offers in the US, we have recently developed new business models and expanded into energy drinks made with real fruit, gummies inspired by Mexican flavors, and alcoholic offerings like Jumex Hard. Across all categories, the common thread is fruit-forward flavor, authenticity, and formulation expertise. These same attributes support our recent relaunch of the Odwalla brand with juices and smoothies, which are aimed at the general market. We are not chasing trends. Instead, we identify spaces where real fruit can credibly differentiate the product.
“The brand’s longevity comes from staying close to the consumer while remaining disciplined about what we stand for,” he adds. “Jumex has always been rooted in fruit, flavor, and authenticity, but it has also been willing to evolve formats, categories, and routes to market over time. The current US transformation reflects that same mindset: respect the heritage and develop opportunities around it. That balance has allowed the brand to remain relevant across generations and markets.”
Product development
An important practical element of the company’s US expansion strategy is adding US manufacturing to complement Mexico. “Historically, Jumex operated primarily as an export business into the US, but one of our key strategic shifts has been to also access local manufacturing and co-packing capabilities in the US,” Carlos explains. “We have built relationships with multiple US-based co-packers across beverages, and today we’re working with one for our gummies. By having the option to work with local partners, we can reduce supply risk, improve responsiveness, and lower logistics complexity. This diversification also allows us to tailor formulations, formats, and packaging more precisely to US customers and retailers.”
Over the past two years, the US operation has become an innovation and launch platform for new categories, channels, and operating models across the business. “Our approach to research and development is highly pragmatic,” Carlos states. “Many of our US launches, such as Jumex Hard, Jumex Energy, GoMix gummies, and custom beverages for foodservice partners, are being developed specifically for this market. We are combining the world-class formulation expertise developed by our colleagues in Mexico with local US market insight to identify spaces where we can win. We prototype quickly, test in real commercial environments, and scale only once we see clear consumer and customer validation. In the US market, when it comes to product development, speed of execution matters as much as technical sophistication.”
Such innovation has been crucial to Jumex’s recent move in the US beyond nectars and beyond the Hispanic aisle. “Innovation for us is as much about route-to-market as it is about what’s inside the package. On the operating side, we’ve expanded with new business models across foodservice and e-commerce. As we scale, we’re also tightening our collaboration with our sister company Vilore around shared plans, service levels, execution, and innovation.”
Prioritizing partnerships
As our conversation continues, Carlos is keen to highlight that it’s the people at Jumex that have fueled its US expansion. “What is making this transformation possible is not just strategy, but the incredible support from our operation in Mexico,” he confirms. “Jumex USA is made up of a small and highly entrepreneurial team willing to work across functions and think outside the box. This team has the full backing of a 7000-person organization in Mexico. This combination of entrepreneurial energy and institutional support is rare, and it’s what gives us an edge in this highly competitive industry.
“Across the business, our culture is hands-on, fast-paced, and highly accountable,” Carlos adds. “Team members are given significant ownership over initiatives, exposure to senior leadership, and the opportunity to build businesses from the ground up. Development comes through launching products and new business models, solving problems, and learning quickly in a real operating environment.”
Jumex’s approach to its employees also extends to suppliers and growers. “We have decades-long relationships with growers focused on ensuring agricultural resilience, and we have deep expertise in fruit sourcing, quality control, and formulation,” Carlos elaborates. “In the US and with the support and guidance of the Mexico teams, we’ve extended those standards through rigorous partner selection, clear specifications, and hands-on collaboration with commercial partners and co-packers. We treat suppliers as long-term partners, not transactional vendors, and we invest significant time to ensure we align on quality, food safety, and operational discipline before scaling any initiative.”
From speaking with Carlos, it’s clear to see that Jumex has built a brand centered around real fruit, quality, and close relationships with growers. As the company continues to expand across the US, we ask Carlos for his thoughts on the future. “Our priority for 2026 is to scale with discipline” he states. “In 2025 we launched new routes to market, accessed complementary channels, and expanded into new categories. The focus is now on reaching new customers, improving profitability, and further strengthening our core nectars business. This includes scaling Jumex Hard and Energy, advancing foodservice partnerships, growing e-commerce, and selectively expanding successful innovations like gummies. However, we must remember that execution quality will matter more than the number of ideas.
“Over the next five years, we want Jumex in the US to be a company with a multi-category platform with meaningful scale across retail, foodservice, and digital channels,” Carlos concludes. “We hope that our operations in the US contribute not only to growth, but also act as an innovation engine for the company globally. Success would mean a diversified portfolio, resilient supply chains, strong brand recognition beyond the Hispanic aisle, and a model that can be replicated in other markets.”