LONDON— Innocent, the British smoothie brand renowned for its ethical ethos, is understood to be holding talks with UK PR agencies.

The Holmes Report understands that Innocent Drinks has begun contacting consumer PR agencies regarding an upcoming project, according to sources familiar with the process. 

The brand has worked with agencies on projects before, but is not known for tapping heavily into external PR support. Instead, the smoothie maker has built a glowing reputation by embracing values such as health and sustainability across the company, supported by a more 'human', idiosyncratic tone of voice.

Founded in 1999, Innocent soon began attracting plaudits for its healthy smoothies, ethical behaviour and eye-catching growth. In 2009 the company sold a minority stake to Coca-Cola, which has since increased to more than 90%.  

Innocent's three co-founders stepped down from day-to-day involvement in the business last year, with marketing chief Douglas Lamont named CEO. The company also created a number of new marketing roles, including head of global brand, following the investment windfall from Coca-Cola.

Innocent sales have continued to grow unabated in recent years, up 36.3% to £213.5m in 2012, making it the top-selling smoothie brand in Europe. However scrutiny of its drinks has risen because of high sugar levels, according to some reports.

Representatives from Innocent Drinks did not respond to request for comment as this story went live.