U.S. company Odwalla has launched a new line of sugar-free smoothie products, which it recently presented to attendees at the PMA Fresh Summit in Anaheim, California.

Founded in Santa Cruz, California in 1980 by three jazz musicians, the company sells a variety of beverages including smoothies, plant-based juice shots and protein shakes.

FreshFruitPortal.com spoke to Lisa Lee, the company's senior brand manager, to hear more about the business and how the idea came about to create the new Odwalla Zero Sugar product line.

"We're a brand that was founded with this foundation of fun and funk and soul," said Lee. "We're a very vibrant, colorful brand and since our founding we've been incredibly innovative. 

"Odwalla Zero Sugar was created by really listening to our consumers and understanding that they were looking for the benefits of a smoothie but with a low-sugar option, so we wanted to provide a keto-friendly, zero-sugar smoothie to meet their needs."

The new line hit retailers' shelves in mid-September, and the company is now ramping up distribution and availability. 

"We have a lot of ambitions for the item we believe it will be very successful. There's a lot of demand for a zero-sugar smoothie like this so we really believe the best is yet to come for the brand and we have a lot of excitement for this particular item," she said.

"It has three grams of net carbs, five grams of protein and it's all plant protein so that makes the item vegan. It's also kosher- and gluten-free, and it’s a good source of protein. So it’s a really convenient solution for people who are on a low carb diet or have a low-carb lifestyle."

The majority of the sales are from the U.S., with a strong regional presence on the West Coast. Currently, the three flavors are Dark Choco-Berry, Strawberries and Cream, and Vanilla Matcha.