Mayer acknowledges the slightly higher price of drinks like Fresh Samantha, or the fresh-squeezed jucies sold at HDS's Cafe Gaia in Loker Commons, but he says students seem willing to accept the trade-off.

"People are willing to pay more because they're concerned about what they're ingesting," Mayer says.

For Lee at Tufts, the ability to offer a wider range of goods based on prices has benefited the college's bottom line. But as an occasional Fresh Samantha consumer herself, she says consumers are willing to pay for a product that she describes as "great."

"I think students recognize quality," she says. "You can charge $3 for something and if it is not quality, people won't buy it. It's kind of fun to see a student sitting at a table, drinking a Fresh Samantha and eating sushi--maybe a kiwi fruit--and having a good day."

At Their Heels

Although Fresh Samantha of late has had particular success in developing its market share on the East Coast, it nevertheless faces a challenge from Cambridge-based Nantucket Nectars.

Founded by two Brown University graduates in 1985, the company enjoys a funky public persona similar to Fresh Samantha's. And with $50 million in sales for 1998, it has a significant leg up on the juice market.

Still, in an effort to bolster its share of the market for premium juices that includes the juice blends, vitamin additions or smoothies, Nantucket Nectars recently re-launched its line of Super Nectars.

According to Eric A. Schaecher, director of public relations for Nantucket Nectars, the line seeks to capture what he says is a still-developing market.

"I don't think a lot of territory has been claimed yet," Schaecher says.

He says Nantucket Nectars benefits from a developed infrastructure that is national in scope--the juices have a wider distribution than Fresh Samantha and has an advertising campaign that emphasizes the company's local origins.

One result, Schaecher says, is that Nantucket Nectars can offer its products at a lower average cost--about $1.49 for its Super Nectars line--than some of its competitors.

Although Stothart says she generally does not like to compare Fresh Samantha with other brands, she says the company is aware of the competition. But the super juices and smoothies--with their bright colors and creative packaging--can hold their own, she says.

"You wouldn't want to go back to Tropicana [after Fresh Samantha]," she says. "It doesn't compare."