The start of Fresh Blendz begins with Rick Fogel. The rich history of Fresh Blendz spans over Rick’s 35-year career in the Food and Beverage industry. Rick started as a Bartender for Hyatt Regency, moved on to be a Master Bartender for TGI Fridays and finished his bartending career as a World Champion performance Bartender while bartending in Ybor City.

     Rick then joined a consulting firm and was part of the Bahama Breeze concept launch. This experience gave him the foundation of frozen drink ingredient research and development and drink machine knowledge. He used these learnings to develop his company Bar Starz, the industry leading expert on frozen drink programming and design.

     Bar Starz was created in 1997 and was quickly recognized as a high level, bar operations solutions and design company. Rick was able to land Marriott International as a client, right when they were looking to upgrade their beverage program. The VP of F&B gave Rick a challenge: “If I asked you to create the highest quality mixes in the industry, could you do it?”

     Rick did not hesitate to answer “Yes!” First thing he did was made two strategic calls to contacts he made from the frozen drink research he did for Bahama Breeze. One of those calls was to Gary, a broker for high quality fruits and vegetables. The other call was to Marc, a packer of fresh juices. After some short discussion, Fresh Blendz was created.

     The goal of Fresh Blendz was simple. Create the best mixes in the industry, using the highest quality fruit and juices available in the world. Rick used his TGI Fridays background to create the flavor profiles and recipes for each mix flavor. He then worked with Gary and Marc to create the large batch recipes needed for packaging. Fresh Blendz became a reality.

     From this, Rick created Fresh Blendz and its various mix flavors. The signature “World’s Best Pina Colada.” Fresh chunky fruit purees made with real strawberries, mangos and raspberries. Fresh juices made with the highest quality lemons and limes available. And ice cream created using his own personal recipe, which is packaged privately.

     Fresh Blendz was now a viable option for Luxury and upscale Hotels, Casinos and Restaurants. Just one taste testing, and the significant difference in quality was an easy upgrade to make. Fresh Blendz quickly moved into some of the highest rated hotels in the world.

     Join us, in creating memorable guest experiences. Set up a simple taste test and experience fresh yourself. Contact us today.