Odwalla Inc. is an American food product company that sells fruit juice, smoothies and food bars. It was founded in Santa Cruz, California in 1980 and is headquartered in Half Moon Bay, California. The company experienced strong growth after its incorporation in 1985, expanding its distribution network from California to most of North America, and went public in 1993. A period of decline occurred as a result of a fatal outbreak of H7 in 1996 that was caused by using bruised fruit that had been contaminated. Odwalla originally sold unpasteurized juices, claiming that the process of... pasteurization altered the flavor of the juice. Following the E. coli outbreak, Odwalla adopted flash pasteurization and other sanitization procedures. Odwalla recalled its juices and experienced a ninety-percent reduction in sales following the event. The company gradually recovered, and, after a few years, was making a profit again. Odwalla was acquired by The Coca-Cola Company in 2001 for US$181 million and became a wholly owned subsidiary.
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