Customers looking for a little crunch in their smoothies need look no further than Emerald City Smoothies, which since Nov. 15 has been offering at all locations a line of layered smoothies featuring granola. Available flavors are: strawberry-orange, pineapple-banana, açaí, blueberry and peach.
Julie Vance, vice president of operation for the smoothie chain, said the all-natural granola used in making the layered smoothies already was available for retail in stores, but customers enjoyed the particular brand of granola so much that it was decided to create a new drink item using it as an ingredient.
The drink is made by layering smoothie and granola and then topping the drink with sliced bananas. However, the smoothies are also customizable. They started out as a breakfast offer, but demand pushed the smoothies onto the all-day menu.
“It is our recipe of all natural ingredients, fresh fruit and wheat germ,” Vance said about the smoothies. The recipe does not include any yogurt or ice cream-like product and is available only in a 16-ounce size. “We try to keep in mind the size, so that with the granola, consumers are not over-consuming.”
The suggested retail price for a Sambazon Açaí layered smoothie is $5, as it is for the other flavors, but price can vary depending on location.