Fruju is a New Zealand ice block brand manufactured by Tip Top. It stands for "fruit-juice".[1]

Fruju
Product typeIce block
Produced byTip Top
CountryNew Zealand
Introduced1980s
WebsiteOfficial website

History

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Fruju was started in the 1980s by Tip Top. The three following decades had television advertisements featuring the phrases "It's gonna hit ya" and "Ooh Aah".[2]

In 1978 Fruju was mainly consumed by teenagers and young adults. To make the brand appealing to adults, the brand encouraged its staff to dip Frujus in gin.[3]

The Pulp Fusion flavour was discontinued in the 2000s.[4] In the summer of 2017 Tip Top partnered with Coca-Cola to create a Lemon & Paeroa flavour.[5] In 2022 Fruju released the Mango Fruju. Due to limited freezer space, the Orange Rush flavour became unavailable on its own in shops except for supermarket multipacks.[6][7] The discontinued flavour Tropical Snow has been brought back as a limited edition in 2014, 2017 and 2020.[8][9] In late 2022 the Grapefruit & Lemon Fruju was discontinued.[4] It was brought back in 2024 for a limited time.[10]

References

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  1. ^ Wilcox, Sarah (11 March 2010). "Ice cream and ice blocks". Te Ara: The Encyclopedia of New Zealand. Retrieved 15 February 2024.
  2. ^ Day, Simon (5 December 2020). "It's gonna hit ya! All the Frujus, reviewed and ranked". The Spinoff. Retrieved 14 February 2024.
  3. ^ "Reporter's Diary". paperspast.natlib.govt.nz. 6 December 1978. Retrieved 14 February 2024.
  4. ^ a b Muru-Lanning, Charlotte (3 May 2023). "The bitter end of the grapefruit Fruju". The Spinoff. Retrieved 14 February 2024.
  5. ^ Howie, Cherie (17 December 2017). "L&P Fruju the latest crazy Kiwi food combo". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 15 February 2024.
  6. ^ "Reason single orange Frujus won't be sold in dairies over summer". 1News. Retrieved 14 February 2024.
  7. ^ Brookes, Emily (21 December 2022). "Why you can't find orange Frujus in dairies this summer". Stuff. Retrieved 15 February 2024.
  8. ^ "Iconic Kiwi icecream making a comeback for summer". Newshub. 9 November 2020. Retrieved 14 February 2024.
  9. ^ "Tip Top announces return of Fruju Tropical Snow for limited run". The New Zealand Herald. 9 November 2020. Retrieved 15 February 2024.
  10. ^ Sowman-Lund, Stewart (14 February 2024). "Clear your freezers: The grapefruit and lemon Fruju is back*". The Spinoff. Retrieved 14 February 2024.