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About Eugene weekly. (Eugene, Oregon) 1993-current | View Entire Issue (June 16, 2016)
CreaTive JuiceS GENESIS JUICE'S GINGER LEMONADE CONTAINS WATER, ORGANIC LEMONS, GINGER AND AGAVE NECTAR S ince the 1970s, Genesis Organic Juice has prided itself on providing a product that’s local, sustainable and 100-percent organic. And in that mission, it’s taking on Big Soda. “Odwalla is a Coke product. Naked is a Pepsi product,” says Jonah Alves, president of Genesis Juice. “This new one, Suja, is a Coke product, and Evolution is a Starbucks prod- uct.” These ubiquitous juices compete for space on store shelves, but do average thirsty consumers comprehend that they’re buying from a large corporate manufacturer? And should they care? “We don’t use juice-grade fruit,” Alves says. “We use fruit-salad grade fruit. Every piece of fruit is handpicked and hand-culled. Nobody does that. All the rot, the bad spots, get dumped in and boiled away.” Boiling juice? “With anything, heat degrades flavor and nutrition,” Alves says. Many juice manufacturers, Alves explains, boil away potential pathogens using high heat and leave the juices in enormous sealed vats, sometimes for up to a year. Later, Genesis Juice squeezes high-quality fruit By Rachael Carnes “flavor packs” are added back to the juice before packaging, to make it more palatable. Not so Genesis Juice, which uses a method called high pressure processing (HPP) to make its juices safe to sell and consume without adding heat. “Our technique uses pressure,” Alves says. “No heat is used at all. So when it comes to taste, flavor and color, we think this is second-best to fresh squeezed.” HPP is a technology that Toby’s Family Foods, which acquired Genesis Juice in 2007, has been using for years to preserve its spreads and dressings without cooking the tofu. “When Genesis approached us, they were floundering, close to bankruptcy,” Alves says. “We had similar company philosophies of using local products and 100-percent organ- ic stuff.” He adds, “The cool thing is, we were able to save a long- time Eugene business.” Following the acquisition, Toby’s hired back many Gen- esis employees and set to work on a package redesign. Some may remember those stout little glass bottles with the fruity label. “But there’s nothing particularly sustainable about glass,” Alves says. GENESIS JUICE'S PRODUCTION FACILITY IS IN LANE COUNTY EUGENEWEEKLY.COM/CHOW The company opted for PETE plastic, the most recy- clable. Genesis juices are poured into bottles, and the whole container is put through the HPP process that uses hydro- static pressure to kill any potential pathogens, while ensur- ing vitamins, minerals and antioxidants aren’t damaged or degraded. Because the plastic container is never heated, consum- ers don’t need to fear that chemicals from the plastic con- tainer are potentially leaching into their food. “Our juice retains 84 percent of its vitamins using this process,” Alves says. On the day EW visited Genesis Juice’s production fa- cility, the air was alive with the scent of fresh lemons for cranberry lemonade, ginger lemonade and strawberry lem- onade. The company also makes a “Superfood Smoothie,” a hibiscus cooler, several varieties of apple juice blends and an herbal tonic that’s a perfect pick-me-up. They also press orange juice, though just for a few months of the year. “Orange juice, when it’s in season, is the best,” Alves says. See genesisorganicjuice.com for more info. GENESIS JUICE SOURCES ITS LEMONS FROM CALIFORNIA CHOW SUMMER 2016 3
