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ePaper created 2016-03-08, 16:49:54 | version 1.34.01
16 | MARCH 2016 | FOOD & BEVERAGE REPORTER www.fbreporter.com ... From previous page where she studied nutrition and health, and visited raw food restaurants for inspiration, De Luca opened Leafy Greens Café next door to the family’s landmark Casalinga restaurant in Muldersdrift. Cold-pressed juices have always been on the menu at Leafy Greens, as well as the family’s two other restaurants, and De Luca is happy to supply in bulk to other restaurants. At Leafy Greens, De Luca says she is able to offer cold-pressed “living” juices for the same price as regular fruit juices served in conventional restaurants. “When you know how to buy fruit and veg properly, you can keep prices low.” Last year she shipped in a high-end, high volume cold pressed juicer from the USA that has no fast-turning gears and thus generates no heat in the juicing process. All fruit and veg are first washed in ozone which keeps them - and the juices - fresher for longer. De Luca says she sources organic produce whenever possible but makes the salient point that even with best will in the world, “it’s impossible to get everything organic”. What sets her apart is that many of the fruits and veggies, especially the “powerhouse” greens such as kale and brocolli, are picked from the extensive organic garden on the property and juiced the same day. Customers need to collect their juices from Leafy Greens at this stage as she does not have a cold- chain distribution network set up yet, but it’s “in the pipeline”. In October last year De Luca started offering an innovative range of cold- pressed juices for cleansing and detoxifying, specially formulated to prevent “flavour exhaustion”. They’re sold under her bright new brand, Antonia’s. Nutrient loss is kept to a minimum by careful cold- pressing, says De Luca. Also, the bottles are filled virtually to the top so there is very little headspace, which limits oxygen and thus oxidation. “None of us is on perfect diets,” she says, “and most people don’t eat enough – or any – of the leafy greens and vegetables they should be eating.” The juices are specially formulated to be taken at different times of the day, beginning with sweeter, green juices that contain protein to start the day. The last juice of the day is a savoury blend, much like a gazpacho, she says. De Luca also produces cold-pressed nut milks. Passionate entrepreneurs like De Luca and Stander are helping to reinvent - perhaps even revolutionise - the tired old fruit juice category with its unfashionably high sugar content. Their raw juices, like craft beers, are becoming an attractive beverage niche to be reckoned with.x Cold-pressed = hot trend BEVERAGES De Luca ... juicing is cleansing