Faith Kincaid puts vegetables into a commercial juicer at Revive in the East Village. Photos by Sarah Bennett
A clear plastic cup is filled with eight ounces of the most peculiar color of muddied green liquid. The drink might seem more fitting to be guzzled by Shrek or to come slapped with a bio-hazard sticker on the side, but people keep coming in and ordering it, coming back each day unscathed.
It takes some bravery to first sip on the liquid–which is a blend of rich, dark green kale, parsley, cucumber, celery and pear juice. It’s an experience that can be equated to being a child force-fed veggies at the dinner table. But one taste of the refreshing beverage and it is hard to resist its sweet and natural, un-intimidating flavor.
“Our green drink is our most popular,” said Faith Kincaid co-owner of Revive Juice Bar in the East Village. “It helps with the skin, soreness, inflammation and has pear juice which is healthiest for blood sugar.”
A number of juice producers have been popping up around the city in the past few years including Nekter in The Marketplace, Rainbow Juices, which does not have a storefront, and Revive. Already, during the summer months the nutrient-rich drinks caused a 15% boost in overall sales at Revive and juice bars nationally are experiencing similar hikes in the cool, trendy blends.
The juicing industry–based on the selling of extractions of 100% juice from fruits and vegetables–is on an upward climb and local businesses are cashing in on an estimated $1.5 billion market. Long Beach’s juice bars are liquefying heaps of ingredients like kale, ginger, oranges and apples in flavor combinations and proportions that are virtually infinite. Drinking juice is a quick, relatively simple way to ingest daily vitamins and have found a place among raw foodists, health gurus and dieters.
Premium, often-handcrafted juices are the products of an emerging health trend that is transforming into a sustainable market. Popular opinions regarding the negatives of GMO’s and pesticide-treated produce have created an increase in conscious consumers who are seeking out organic, fresh and preservative-free options.
“It’s a lifestyle right now, it’s huge not just for summer. People swear by it and are changing their lives by it,” said Vince Evans, assistant manager of Main Squeeze, a new juice bar that will soon be opening in Long Beach, near Cal State Long Beach.
Though juicing has been around for a while, it has experienced a surge in past half-decade and gained national popularity as advocates claim that it’s super food qualities could reverse various diseases including cancer and provide preventative health benefits.
The juice market competes with other beverage markets including bottled water, herbal tea and less healthy options including sodas and energy drinks. With Long Beach’s large Hispanic population, aguas fresca–combinations of fruits, flowers, sugars and water–are also competition, albeit with a different cultural foundation and method of production.
Technology is on the juicing industry’s side, however. Revive has installed the first-ever juicing tap system where fruit is cold-pressed daily and then put into the tap for quicker dispense. Each tap is a different singular juice with it’s own unique nutrients that are combined by the barista to match recipes or to create a custom creation to fit the needs of the customer. “It’s juices on tap like beer on tap,” said Kincaid.
Cold pressing is now widely regarded as the optimal method for maximizing both liquid and nutrient output of fruits and vegetable. This process eliminates the heat caused by friction from blades, which was considered major negative in centrifugal juicing. Using a cold press keeps the nutrients in tact and advances in machinery have led to a larger output and a longer shelf life. In this manner 4 to 5 pounds fruits and veggies can be transformed into a 12-ounce juice. At Revive 200 pounds of apples can be pressed in just one our.
But fresh juice isn’t cheap. Premium juices cost around $5 to $8 per cup and can get up to a dollar per ounce a pop, which for many critics calls into question the sustainability of such businesses.
Kincaid said that people don’t really know what goes into making the juice; from paying hourly wages to the time it takes to pick the ripest produce–there’s a bit more involved than just buying a juicer.
“A lot of our customers have their own juicers but they come to us for convenience and more varied flavors. It’s tedious to clean up and time consuming,” said Kincaid.
With only a handful of cold-pressed juicers, the bars frequently feature other items including smoothies and teas to appeal to a wider beverage guzzling audience.
Main Squeeze, for example, will be featuring a non-juice kombucha tea, which is fermented creating a symbiotic colony of yeasts and bacteria with a range of health benefits. They said they hope to open mid-August.
Juicers are leaning toward buying locally grown fruit, sifting with discerning eyes over the produce they will liquefy at their stores. Locally bought produce supports local farmers and reduces the carbon emissions that result from large-scale orders from various far away locales.
First of its kind: A wine tap system has been installed to pour cold-pressed juices at Revive.
Both Revive and Main Squeeze acquire their produce from farmer’s markets around both Long Beach and Los Angeles. The managers of Main Squeeze plan to visit farmers markets at least three times a week in order to prevent the need for freezing and dehydrating of fruits that are typically used in major smoothie chains.
The juicing trend is not solely a local feat as major corporations including Starbucks are acquiring their own lines that sell the stuff. Their new line Evolution Fresh was an attempt diversify their product offerings and to satisfy demands for more healthful option.
“People are becoming more and more aware of how nutritious it is and as people continue to be more health conscious juicing will become the norm,” said Kincaid.
Revive Juice Bar is located at 145 Linden Ave., Nektar is located at 6467 E. Pacific Coast Highway, Main Squeeze will be located at 5660 E. Pacific Coast Highway, Rainbow Juices is available at retail locations throughout Long Beach.
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