Cold Pressed Juice in Hawaii
Guest post – submitted by Kristal Muhich, owner of Kauai Juice Co The challenge of sourcing local produce I started a kombucha company 4 years ago thinking I was going to have access to all these great local tropical fruits here on Kauai, but as it turns out, our local food sources are very confined and 95% of our food is imported. Hawaii has a lot of perks, but a mass abundance of local produce is not one of them. This creates a lot of challenges for an organic juice company. For example I can’t call up a local farm and ask for 300 pounds of carrots. There probably aren’t even 300 pounds of carrots grown on Kauai combined, and we go through at least 1,000 pounds a week at Kauai Juice Co. I couldn’t believe there aren’t even professional coconut farmers here! To get fresh coconut water I need to contact all my local friends that are tree trimmers and beg them to bring us coconut water. The juice companies in the mainland have it so easy; they just get those imported Thai coconuts all picked, trimmed, and ready to go from their local produce distributors. Do you have any idea how heavy and big a real coconut is when it’s fresh? For two cups of coconut water…it’s ridiculous. On a more positive note, I was so happy to learn that greens grow quite well on Kauai. This island can provide excellent kale, parsley, chard, and cilantro (and pineapple, for 4 months out of the year).
Mixing Produce or Grinding Separately
Should I juice every ingredient separately? This is definitely one of the most frequently asked questions regarding the Goodnature X-1 Cold-Press Juicer.
What is HPP and Do I Need It?
Regardless of the specific words used, HPP is the process of putting tons of pressure on a substance to achieve microbial inactivation or to “alter the food attributes in order to achieve consumer-desired qualities”.
Sourcing Organic Produce (using CSA's)
As a small business, it’s important to introduce a high quality product and keep food costs down. Sourcing all that organic produce for cold pressed juice can be challenging, so here’s a tip to help you out: Community Supported Agriculture (or CSA’s) are a fantastic way to help your local farms/community, and supply your business with local produce. Here are some advantages from both ends, courtesy of LocalHarvest.org: Advantages for Farmers: Get to spend time marketing the food early in the year, before their 16 hour days in the field begin Receive payment early in the season, which helps with the farm’s cash flow Have an opportunity to get to know the people who eat the food they grow
Blade and Bag Recommendations for the X-1 and EG-260
Which bag, blade, and grinder settings should you use? This is a very basic settings guide for the X-1 and EG-260. If you are mixing ingredients, usually the best combination is the 1/4″ blade at a speed of 40 Hz, and the medium weave press bag. We recommend mixing ingredients, since it makes the grinding process easier and you can achieve a better yield.
Plastic vs Glass Bottles
Which type of bottles should I use? Choosing either plastic or glass bottles for your new juice business is an important decision that might have more factors than you have considered. In this article, we will explore some of the pros and cons of each.