That was how, within five weeks of the recall, Odwalla came up with a new method of juice production called flash pasteurisation, and was able to bring back its apple juice by December 5. It admitted its fault and started from scratch to put in new safety procedures. Odwalla did not try to defend its policy against pasteurisation. Tackled the root of the problem: Immediately after Williamson got the recall going, he immediately reassigned all managers into three teams managing the existing business, planning a re-emergence strategy and managing inquiries from health officials, media and customers. Odwalla found these conference calls so useful that it continued to hold a call each quarter to discuss the state of the union with employees long after the crisis. Employees called in to hear his overview of the day’s findings and to ask him questions. Open lines of communication internally: To help employees keep up with the updates, Williamson conducted company-wide conference calls daily during the crisis.
ODWALLA APPLE JUICE TV
The company gave interviews, appeared on TV and took out ads carrying the website address to point people to where they could get up-to-date information.
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Getting the word out: Within 24 hours, Odwalla put up its first website ever to explain its processes. Odwalla also bought ads in local newspapers, informing customers of the recall and offering to cover medical expenses for anyone affected by the contaminated juice. They revisited retail sites every day to give updates and to post public notes on Odwalla coolers. coli outbreak began, Williamson instructed route supervisors to pull apple products from coolers and to talk one-on-one with account managers. Odwalla chose Williamson to act as the liaison between the company and the public.Īccepted responsibility unequivocally: In all media interviews, Williamson expressed sympathy and regret for all those affected and immediately promised that the company would foot all medical bills.Ĭustomers came first: Odwalla relied on a network of route managers to distribute its products to retail outlets and manage relationships with trade partners. coli link, quoted the CEO’s concern for those affected, concluded with a promise to give additional media updates and gave the name and direct phone number of the PR director. coli outbreak to Odwalla, the company issued its first news release on the situation, announcing that it was recalling all fresh apple juice. Within 48 hours, the US$6.5 million recall was completed.Ĭooperated with the media: Within 23 minutes of the health officials’ news conference linking the E. coli link, without waiting for it to be confirmed, he ordered a complete recall of all products containing apple from 4,600 retail outlets in seven states and British Columbia. Of the reported cases, more than a dozen developed a life-threatening condition that causes the body’s major organs, particularly the kidneys, to fail.Īcted swiftly and effectively: The moment CEO Stephen Williamson got the news about the possible E.
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and British Columbia, Canada, became ill after drinking the juice. In all, one child died and more than 60 people (including children) in the western U.S. coli O157:H7 and the company’s fresh unpasteurised apple juice. On October 30, 1996, health officials from the state of Washington informed Odwalla, the California-based juice-maker, that they had discovered a link between E.