Innocent 'stupid' to sell minority stake to Coca-Cola

Innocent sold the £30m stake, which equates to between 10% and 20% of the company, to Coca-Cola to help finance European expansion.

The majority of people interviewed for Brand Republic's video thought that it was a bad move for Innocent and expressed fears that Coca-Cola would change the ingredients or dilute down the drink.

Innocent's deal with Coca-Cola was described as "stupid", "weird" and a sell-out by some members of the public, while others accepted the deal as necessary for expansion.

Despite the majority of people stating that they were against the move, most said that it would not actually put them off buying Innocent drinks.

The three founders of Innocent, who still run the company and are celebrating 10 years of the firm this month, have attempted to allay customers' fears by saying the deal would help Innocent learn from the market leaders, as well as helping them "get Innocent out to more places".

Co-founder Richard Reed said: "The three of us who set up the business will continue to run and manage Innocent. We will be the same people making the same products in the same way."

In 2007, Innocent came under fire from some quarters when it struck a deal which saw McDonald's sample Innocent Smoothies in a range of Happy Meals.