City wakes up to goodness of cold-pressed juices

Exercising to keep fit in our modern, fast-paced life is important, but even more crucial is eating right to complement our workout regimen. And like multigrain and brown bread have replaced white bread, organic vegetables have taken the place of regular greens, so too for juices. Sipping fruity drinks out of a can or making them in conventional juicers at home is so yesterday. For the health-conscious crowd, the latest dietary must-have is cold-pressed juices. So why are cold-pressed juices so good for you? Because they are prepared through a process in which no heat is generated — unlike in conventional juicing techniques — the juice itself preserves more of the nutrients and natural goodness of the fruit or vegetable (see box). What’s more, apart from the regular orange, apple and guava, cold-pressed juices are available in many exotic varieties — chia seeds, celery, collard, wheatgrass, courgettes, mangosteen, kiwi and more.

NUTRITIONISTSPEAK
When we asked nutritionist

Hena Nafis

about the efficacy of cold-pressed juices, this is what she told us, “Juicing as a trend is a western concept and has become popular in India over the years. The best part about cold-pressed juices is that they are high on anti-oxidants, but consuming a lot of these juices is not good. Since it may contain so many vegetables and fruits, it is heavy on the stomach. I don’t prescribe it to my patients who want to lose weight.”
KOLKATA IS JUST DISCOVERING THESE JUICES
While the demand for cold-pressed juices has been late in coming to Kolkata, we now have two entrepreneurs who are spearheading the movement to make people aware of their products. Their line of juices are supplied to gyms, supermarkets and are also delivered to homes. We met

Ashna Chhaochharia

, the founder and owner of

Pure Haus

, which specialises in cold-pressed juices. She said, “I started my company in May, 2016. Initially, I was a bit sceptical about the concept of cold-pressed juices in Kolkata since the market is yet to open up in comparison with other metros like Mumbai, Delhi or Bangalore. There, people are more health conscious. Because of a fast lifestyle, people are always on the go, and taking these juices helps to keep the stomach full for a long time. Even my friends, who stay abroad, rave about the goodness of cold-pressed juices. That’s when I decided to introduce it to my city. It’s not easy
integrating the required amount of vegetables and fruits in your diet if you have a busy schedule. Our products take care of the daily dose of unadulterated nourishment.”

Ashna functions with a team of seven members — three of them are part of the production process, one person does the deliveries to gyms and homes, while the other three look after the social media marketing. Pure Haus has different ranges of juices that cater to specific needs. For instance, her cleanse packs can be used for detox, which comes at a price of Rs 1,500, then there are single bottles of juices with various concoctions of orange, beetroot, apple, pineapple, along with imported superfoods like kale, fennel bulb and bee pollen. Each of these bottles is priced between `150-170 for every Rs 250 ml and Rs 250-275 for the 500 ml ones. Apart from that, one can also opt for vegan milk and two types of cashew milks — one with cinnamon, vanilla and honey and the other with Japanese matcha green tea (excellent for weight loss, cancer prevention and lowering bad cholesterol).

TRY THE JUICE FROM A CART
Abhishek Jhunjhunwala, who runs the other

cold-pressed juice

brand in town,

InSpirit Cleanse

, agreed with Ashna that cold-pressed juices have come to Kolkata much later than other cities. Also, since Kolkata is a price conscious market, there are fewer takers for these juices here, since they are not exactly dirt cheap. “Fitness freaks are aware of the goodness of these juices but then again, their number is not very high. The awareness is a little higher among women aged between 18 and 40. At a time when health ailments are plaguing almost everyone and good habits are gradually getting lost, it is time we take corrective measures to keep ourselves fit. We have held several sampling sessions in supermarkets and people are very keen about the products and awareness is likely to rise in the coming years. But one should also keep in mind that consuming juices or having a healthy diet alone will not help a person to stay fit. Regular workouts are also a must,” said Abhishek.

According to him, sales have gown over the past year. Initially, his brand would sell 15-20 bottles a day, but now the numbers have increased to 200-250 bottles per day. Monthly subscription packages are also on the rise. Since juices are generally consumed after the morning workout, he ensures home deliveries to clients by 7 am. “I believe we are selling a habit and not a product. Since, we are all addicted to packaged juice and the sugar content in them is very high, it’s not good for us. Thus, we brought in the technology for preparing cold-pressed juices, along with nutritionists and dieticians from the USA on board, to create different products that are best suited for Indian markets,” shared Abhishek.

InSpirit Cleanse also has three juice carts — two in the

Salt Lake

and Sector V area and another one at Park Street — to reach out to new customers and raise awareness levels about the product. The bottles in these carts are priced at Rs 50-80 for every 200 ml. Their range of products covers specific requirements like detox plans for beauty, weight loss, general body fatigue, indigestion and heart diseases, among others.