Evive is a company that sells pre-made smoothie powders designed to provide complete nutrition in a convenient format. Their smoothies are marketed as an easy way to get your daily recommended servings of fruits and vegetables. But with the high price tag, are evive smoothies really worth it? Here’s a comprehensive look at the pros and cons.
Quick Answer
For some people, yes – evive smoothies can be worth the higher cost. The convenience, nutritional profile, and quality ingredients make them a good choice if you value those factors and can fit them into your budget. However, for others, making smoothies from scratch or finding cheaper alternatives may be better options. Consider your own needs and preferences when deciding if evive smoothies are worth it for you.
Nutritional Profile
One of the main selling points of evive smoothies is their impressive nutritional profile. Evive uses a patented process called Nutrient Extraction to make powders that contain vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants from fresh fruits and vegetables.
According to the company, their smoothies provide:
- 1 full serving of fruits and veggies in every scoop
- At least 20% daily value of 20 essential vitamins and minerals
- No added sugars or artificial sweeteners
- Vegan and allergen-friendly options
- Probiotics for gut health
This nutritional content makes it easy to get your daily dose of micronutrients from fruits and veggies by just adding water or milk to the powders. If getting those nutrients in your diet is a priority, evive smoothies deliver.
How do they compare to making your own?
Nutritionally speaking, evive smoothies are comparable to smoothies you could make yourself from whole fruits and vegetables in your blender. You can easily add spinach, kale, berries, banana, and other nutrient-dense ingredients to DIY smoothies.
The main difference with evive is convenience – their powders provide an easy, consistent way to get those nutrients without any prep work. But it is possible to replicate their nutritional profile yourself. One area where evive smoothies excel is providing probiotics for gut health, which are not found in many homemade smoothies.
Smoothie Nutrition Facts
Here’s a look at the nutrition facts for two popular evive smoothie flavors, to give an idea of their nutritional profile:
| Nutrition Facts | Berry Greens Smoothie | Tropical Greens Smoothie |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 140 | 140 |
| Total Fat | 2g | 1.5g |
| Sodium | 140mg | 150mg |
| Total Carbohydrate | 29g | 27g |
| Dietary Fiber | 5g | 4g |
| Sugars | 12g | 14g |
| Protein | 5g | 5g |
As you can see, a single serving provides around 140 calories, 5g of protein, 4-5g of fiber, plus vitamins and minerals from the fruits and greens. These are solid nutritional stats for a smoothie.
Ingredients
Evive emphasizes their use of whole, quality ingredients to create the smoothie powders. Some of the ingredients found in their blends include:
- Fruits: bananas, pineapples, apples, strawberries, blueberries
- Veggies: spinach, kale, carrots, beets
- Seeds: chia, flax, hemp
- Herbs and spices: turmeric, cinnamon, ginger
- Probiotics
- Plant-based proteins: pea, rice
They avoid any artificial flavors, colors, or sweeteners. The fruit and veggie ingredients are organic whenever possible. This focus on quality nutrition from whole foods is a major reason to choose evive over cheaper smoothie powders or bottled smoothies.
You can see and pronounce every ingredient because they use real, minimally processed fruits, veggies, seeds, etc. This transparency and lack of artificial “stuff” is a big advantage over many other packaged smoothie options.
Possible Downsides
The use of whole fruits and veggies means you will find fiber in evive smoothies, which improves satiety but can also cause gas or bloating issues for some people if consumed in excess.
Some ingredients like banana and beet powder can cause constipation when over-consumed. So as with any big dietary change, it’s best to start slowly with evive smoothies and not overload on them, especially if you have a sensitive stomach.
Taste and Texture
How do the smoothies actually taste? Here’s an overview:
- Smooth, creamy texture
- Natural flavors from fruits and greens come through
- Not overly sweet or artificially flavored
- Tangy, tart, and earthy taste from ingredients like pineapple, berries, spinach
- No grittiness or chalky texture
- Pleasant aftertaste
Most people find the smoothies quite tasty and enjoyable to drink. They are sweet enough without large amounts of added sugars. You can really taste the fruits and greens used in the blends.
Some people add extras like peanut butter or cocoa powder to enhance flavor and texture. Overall, evive smoothies get good marks for taste while still using healthy whole food ingredients.
Flavor Options
Evive offers eight different smoothie “recipes” to choose from. They have both green and fruit-based options:
- Greens: Tropical Greens, Berry Greens, Super Greens
- Fruit: Tropical Fruit, Berry Fruit, Superfruit, Citrus Fruit
- Neutral: Simply Green, Simply Fruit
So there’s a decent variety of flavors depending on whether you prefer green or fruit-forward smoothies. Many consumers alternate between a few favorite flavors.
Convenience
Along with nutrition, convenience is evive’s biggest selling point. Their smoothie powders provide an easy, fast way to get your daily smoothie fix.
Some of the convenience factors include:
- Shelf-stable powders are portable and require no refrigeration
- Just add water, plant milk, or juice and blend
- Smoothies can be made in under 5 minutes
- No shopping, chopping, or food prep needed
- Powders are mess-free and easy to store
- Individual packets for on-the-go smoothies
This level of convenience is a major reason people choose evive smoothies over making their own. You skip much of the work of gathering ingredients and cleaning up after making a smoothie from scratch.
For busy professionals, parents, travelers, or anyone else wanting an easy nutritious option, evive delivers big on convenience.
Possible Downsides
However, there are some potential inconveniences to consider:
- Need to plan ahead and order more product when running low
- Possible shipping delays or problems
- Must clean blender after use
- May need to buy extras like protein powder, peanut butter to customize
So while evive smoothies themselves require minimal prep work, you do need to put in a bit more forethought and planning compared to pre-made smoothies or juice.
Cost
One of the biggest potential drawbacks of evive smoothies is their high cost. Prices currently range from:
- $65 for a 14 serving bag
- $75 for a 20 serving tub
- $99 for a bundle with shaker bottle
This equates to around $4-5 per smoothie. That’s certainly more expensive than making your own smoothies from scratch. However, evive contends their smoothies are a bargain compared to shops.
Some cost comparisons:
| Evive | Smoothie Shop | Make Your Own | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost per smoothie | $4-5 | $5-10 | $2-4 |
As you can see, evive is priced lower than commercial shops but higher than doing it yourself. Depending on your budget, $4 for the convenience might be justifiable or too expensive.
You can lower the per-smoothie cost by purchasing larger bundles. But evive still comes at a premium price point given the ingredients and proprietary production process.
Possible Savings
Ways you may be able to save on evive smoothies include:
- Buy large bundles that offer per-smoothie discounts
- Wait for sales or promotions
- Consider splitting orders with friends or family
- Pair with coupon codes when available
- Set up subscription for auto-delivery savings
Despite some opportunity for savings, the core pricing remains higher than average. You’re paying a premium for the nutrition, quality, and convenience factors.
Health Benefits
Assuming the ingredients and nutrition info are accurate, drinking evive smoothies on a regular basis may provide these potential health benefits:
- Increased fruit and vegetable intake
- Weight loss or maintenance from satisfied hunger
- Improved regularity from fiber
- Energy boost from carbohydrates and plant-based proteins
- Healthy gut flora from probiotics
- Disease prevention from antioxidants
- Hydration from the smoothie itself
- Potential improvement in skin, hair, nails from nutrient density
The bottom line is consuming more fruits, veggies, fiber, and other plant-based nutrients found in evive smoothies contributes to better health for most people. Replacing higher calorie, lower nutrition meals or snacks with smoothies can also aid in weight management.
Are They Proven Benefits?
While the intended health benefits of evive smoothies makes logical sense given the ingredients, the company does not make any specific medical claims or have published clinical studies proving specific results.
There is plenty of general research showing health benefits of smoothies, fruits and vegetables, probiotics, etc. But none directly testing evive’s products.
So while the smoothies are likely to provide benefits if you don’t otherwise eat a nutrient-rich diet, the company does not directly back up their claims with scientific evidence.
Sustainability
Evive touts a commitment to sustainability in these ways:
- Sources organic, non-GMO ingredients when possible
- Works with suppliers with ethical practices
- Uses recyclable packaging and tubes
- Partners with sustainable shipping companies
- Powder form reduces food waste versus fresh produce
- Company runs on 100% renewable energy
While they don’t have organic certification or B Corp status, they appear to be making efforts towards eco-friendly business practices. This gives them an advantage sustainability-wise over mainstream smoothie and food brands.
But specialized smoothie companies like Daily Harvest likely have better sustainability credentials. Evive has room for improvement but makes sustainability a priority.
Packaging Concerns
One drawback is that pouches and tubes still create plastic waste, albeit recyclable. From a zero-waste perspective, evive smoothies result in significantly more packaging than making your own.
So they strive for sustainability but still produce packaging waste, which is somewhat unavoidable for pre-made food products.
Company Reputation and Transparency
Evive is a young startup company founded in 2019 that is not yet a major mainstream brand. However they seem to have a generally positive reputation online.
Here are some key points about the company:
- Founders have backgrounds in food science, nutrition, and business
- Backed by funding from high-profile investors
- Focus on nutrition science and research in development
- Use of clinical trials and taste testing
- Promote transparency with ingredients and processes
- Responsive customer service department
While not an established brand name, they seem to be building credibility through their scientific approach, quality products, and customer service.
However, keep in mind they are still a new company with limited history and reviews. There is some risk in relying on their nutrition claims before long-term customers can vouch for sustainability.
Customer Reviews
Here’s a brief look at customer feedback on evive’s products and service:
- Mostly positive reviews on taste, nutrition, convenience
- Some complaints about high cost
- Mixed reviews on texture and flavor variety
- Most say ordering process is smooth
- Good marks for timely delivery and customer service
While still a small brand, most third-party reviews seem to align with the company’s claims and marketing pitch. But take reviews with a grain of salt given the limited customer base so far.
Pros and Cons
Based on all the factors reviewed, here is a quick rundown of the main pros and cons of evive smoothies:
Pros
- Provide full serving of fruits/veggies per smoothie
- Nutritionally balanced with fiber, protein, probiotics
- Made from quality whole food ingredients
- No artificial or unhealthy ingredients
- Offer convenience compared to homemade smoothies
- Good taste and enjoyable texture
- Various flavor options to choose from
- Portable and shelf-stable
- Eco-friendly and ethically sourced ingredients
Cons
- Higher in cost than making your own smoothies
- Limited flavors and customization options
- Contains fruit sugars and carbs like any smoothie
- Must order online and wait for delivery
- Produces packaging waste
- Company is new with minimal reviews
- No organic certification or clinical studies
Conclusion
Evive smoothies can deliver an impressive nutritional punch thanks to their whole food ingredients and smart recipes. They offer major convenience for smoothie lovers given their quick prep and portability.
However, they are pricey compared to making your own smoothies at home. And as a new company, they lack long-term reviews and trust.
Ultimately, evive smoothies are worth considering for your diet and lifestyle if you value convenience, quality nutrition, and can justify the above-average cost. But they may not be the ideal choice for everyone.
Consider your budget, nutrition needs, sustainability priorities, and how easy making smoothies from scratch is for you. That will determine if evive smoothies are worth the investment for your personal situation.
While not flawless, evive offers one of the better pre-made smoothie options for fans of smoothies with real ingredients and added nutrition. Try them yourself and see if the advantages outweigh any downsides for your needs.
