SACO – Fresh Samantha, the juice maker that created blends like Mango Mama and Veggie Cha Cha, will be leaving Maine after completion of a plant in southern Florida.

Putting the East Coast plant closer to where the fruit grows will boost production capabilities, said Stephen Williamson, chief executive officer of Odwalla Inc., which merged with Fresh Samantha last year.

Odwalla, which is based in Half Moon, Calif., will offer to relocate Fresh Samantha’s 70 to 80 Saco employees after the facility closes in June.

Doug Levin, co-founder of Fresh Samantha, said he always knew that Fresh Samantha would have to leave its roots in Maine at some point.

“When we set out to make fresh juice in Maine eight years ago, we realized the business necessity of someday moving closer to our fruit in Florida. Today, to be able to actually achieve this goal is a bittersweet moment,” he said Thursday.

Fresh Samantha got started in the home of Bob and Julie Carter with family members blending unusual fruit concoctions in a pitcher, pouring them into bottles and slapping labels onto the bottles.

In 1992, the Carters’ son-in-law, Levin, cashed in a life insurance policy and spent the $30,000 for a juice company owned by a Portland man who was tired of washing, peeling and pressing carrots.

That marked the humble beginnings of the Fresh Samantha line, which is named for Levin’s daughter.

The company’s sales were approaching $40 million when Fresh Samantha merged with its chief competitor, Odwalla. The merger created the largest company in the fresh juice business.

Levin, who moved to California to become president of Odwalla, said even before the merger that the company might have to open additional plants to cut down on transportation costs.

Construction of the facility is expected to begin early this year, but the company has not said exactly where in Florida it will be located.

To further strengthen its East Coast operations, Odwalla said, the company will move Karen Lucas, the company’s vice president of sales and operations, from its headquarters in California to Boston.