Quad City Times: Smoothie King's Purposeful Smoothies Are Headed to the Quad-Cities

The Quad-Cities can expect to be crowned with a Smoothie King, the company known around the globe for its "Smoothies With A Purpose." Smoothie King entered the Iowa market in Des Moines, where by year-end it will have two stores. "What we like about Iowa is there are a lot of healthy individuals there — runners, hikers, bicyclists," said Chris Elam, franchise development manager for the New Orleans-based chain.

"The underlying mission is all our smoothies have a purpose," she said. Elam joined the company after her husband twice battled cancer. For him, The Hulk smoothie provided a drink high in calories to help him maintain weight during treatments.

"Conversely, my purpose is trying to lose weight, so I wanted one low in sugar and calories," she said. And the mother in her serves her kids with a Smoothie King that has a multi-vitamin mixed in. Founded by Steve Kuhnau in 1943 in New Orleans, Smoothie King now boasts more than 770 locations across three continents including 665 U.