Fruju

Fruju

Product type	Ice block
Produced by	Tip Top
Country	New Zealand
Introduced	1980s
Website	Official website

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

History

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

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. 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. Archived from the original on 8 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.