Because the company relies on customer word-of-mouth and does not conduct formal advertising, college campuses provide an especially welcoming environment for products like Fresh Samantha.

Stothart admits that "we would never have made it where we are today without colleges."

The company's first college contract, she says, was with Tufts University in 1992, in which the company provided Tufts with two flavors of drinks.

According to Tufts Director of Dining and Business Services Patricia J. Lee, the decision to carry Fresh Samantha corresponded with a strategic plan that emphasized entrepreneurship. She says Tufts was interested in supporting local and regional enterprises "to whatever extent possible."

But in addition, Lee says Fresh Samantha just seemed like it would take off.

"When you look at the trends, juice just seemed to be the way to go," Lee says. "It fit into the way we were looking at our operation."

And take off it did. Lee says that since then, Tufts has dramatically expanded the number of Fresh Samantha options it offers across the campus. She says it has become a "staple" in the campus's a la carte cafeteria, in addition to selling strongly--indeed "flying off the shelves"--at the campus convenience store.

According to Director of Harvard Dining Services Ted A. Mayer, the growing demand for Fresh Samantha and other similar drinks at Harvard reflects an increasing health consciousness among students.

In a phone call he made from in front of the Fresh Samantha booth at the National Restaurant Association's annual conference in Chicago, Mayer acknowledges a "definite trend" toward more nutritional foods and more nutritional information at Harvard.

A Pricey Punch

Still, with an average price that hovers around $2.75, most say students are unlikely candidates for purchasing the pricey juice drinks.

Stothart from Fresh Samantha acknowledges that the company's goods are costly compared to other juice products. But she likens the interest in the product to the recent trend that has made coffee chains like Starbucks so popular.

"Is it worth spending the couple of extra dollars for the experience of enjoying something that's really delicious?" she asks.

Though she says people probably see the drinks as a "treat," she says there are worse things for one to become than addicted to juice.

"If you're going to [have] a fix like that, it's good that it's healthy," she jokes.