Passion into Profit.

(1)Harry Cragoe first tried a fruit Smoothie in California in the early 1990s. He had no idea then that he was on a road to a corporate success. Now he heads a multi-million-pound company – and it’s all because off his passion for healthy eating.

(2)“When I arrived in Los Angeles I rented an apartment near the beach,” he remembers. “I was very English, very white and overweight. Everyone was focused on looking good and being healthy. There were juice bars that sold drink called smoothies and I loved them.”

(3)When he returned to Britain he found they weren’t available. “All you could find were cartons of apple and orange juice, I could see there was a real opportunity.”

(4)Cragoe sold his car, flat and investments and flew back to California. He returned with a cool box packed with frozen drinks and persuaded his friend, Patrick Folkes, to help him import and sell them.

(5)They found PJ Smoothies in 1994. Initially, the firm imported frozen smoothies from America, but the business grew quickly and they didn’t have a stock to meet demand. “Up to then we just imported the finished product,” Cragoe says. “If a store ordered 200 bottles we began defrosting.”

(6)In 1996 Cragoe decided to set up production in Britain. He found a factory side in Nottingham, equipped it and began production. Since then, PJ Smothies has gone from strength to strength. The company now is Britain’s market leader in the fresh drinks sector, controlling just under 50% of the market. Cragoe sells more than 250.000 drinks a week in summer to big supermarkets.

(7)There have been problems along the way. Cragoe lost $30.000 when his distributor went bankrupt, leaving him with hundreds of boxes of juice to distribute. But he has never lost confidence in his concept.

(8)“Most of all, you’ve got to have fun,” he says. “You must feel really passionate about what you’re doing.”

5. Match the words with their definitions.

1.smoothie	a. to make someone believe something by giving them a good reason
2.passion	b. one of the areas into which the economic activity of a country is divided
3.rent	c. a thick cold drink made from fruit, ice and often yogurt or ice cream
4.carton	d. a person or organization that supplies goods to shops and companies
5.persuade	e. to buy or bring in products from another country
6.import	f. to pay money for the use of a room
7.equip	g. a very powerful feeling
8.sector	h. having no money
9.distributor	i. to provide a place with objects that are necessary for a particular purpose
10.bankrupt	j. a container made from cardboard, in which milk or fruit juice is sold

6. Find the words in the article with the opposite meaning to these words and phrases:

1. failure (para 1)

2. slim (para 2)

3. became smaller (para 5)

4. weakness (para 6)

5. earned (para 7)

7. Find the English equivalents of the Russian words below in the text.

1. здоровое питание (para1)

2. капиталовложения (para 4)

3. удовлетворять спрос (para 5)

4. размораживание (para 5)

5. уверенность (para 7)

8. Complete the text with the following words and phrases:

Bankrupt, distribute, sold, cool, equipped, order, set up

Snack 2U was a small firm that produced fresh snack foods and (1) ……………… them to shops and bars in that region. To (2) ……………… the snacks it used trucks which it (3) ……………… with refrigerators to keep food (4) ………………. The business was a success until one day a new producer (5) ……………… in the same area. It suggested a lower price. Shops started to (6) ……………… from the new company. Snacks 2U wasn’t able to compete and two months later it went (7) ………………. .

9. Answer the following questions:

1. Why did Cragoe think that smoothies were good?

2. Why did he decide to sell smoothies in the UK?

3. How did he finance the new business?

4. Why did he start production in the UK?

5. What’s PJ Smoothies’ market share?

6. Who or what are PJ Smoothies’ main customers?

7. How did Cragoe loose $30.000?

8. Does Harry Cragoe think it’s possible to run business when you don’t enjoy it?

10. Discussion points:

1. Why do you think PJ Smoothies is a successful company?

2. What soft drinks are popular in your country?

3. Do you have an idea that you feel passionate about? Can you imagine setting up a business to sell this idea? What sort of business? What can help a business to be a success? Name the main factors.

GRAMMAR