Operations
Clean Juice embracing centralized high-pressure processing
December 6, 2022
Clean Juice has simplified operations by moving from in-house bottled cold-pressed juice production to the latest innovation in centralized high-pressure processing, according to CEO and co-Founder Landon Eckles, who said HPP is solving the riddle of processing organic produce without heat, chemical preservatives or additives.
"Our decision to move our bottled juice production to HPP was based on many factors, most importantly, our commitment to serving only the highest-quality, USDA-certified organic farm-fresh ingredients to our guests at a more affordable price while simplifying the operation for our grinding franchise partners across the nation," Eckles said in a company press release. "As prices for food and groceries continue to dramatically rise, we took this shift in our business as an opportunity to provide more value for our guests. The prices of our bottled cold-pressed juices, which are a guest favorite and arguably what we're known for, were reduced by nearly 20 percent for our guests across all markets — that's a message that I know will be well received considering what's happening."
HPP is a non-thermal food preservation technique that incapacitates harmful pathogens and microorganisms by using pressure for preservation. Rooted in the highest level of food safety and shelf-life goals, HPP is relatively young but growing in the industry, according to the release. HPP Technology, which is also referred to as high hydrostatic pressure, is the process of placing natural foods and beverages into a vessel (a bottle for example) and then being subjected to a high level of isostatic pressure, 87,000 psi, transmitted by cold water.
Given the unstable labor and supply chain environment common in the industry, Eckles said centralized HPP simplifies the store's operation by reducing the burden of ordering and preparing its all-organic menu to stringent certification as well as bottling the juice in the back of each store using an expensive cold-press machine.
"This is not just a win-win shift to our business, but it's a win-win-win shift," he said. "The beauty of this process is not just the benefits to our beloved guests and franchise partners, but it also creates a pathway for the Clean Juice brand to explore new varieties of enhanced flavors to our bottled cold-pressed juice line as well as new channels. This is what truly excites me for our guests and for the future growth of our brand," he said. "The future is bright despite the dark narrative dominating today's economic headlines. The future is organic."
As an added value to guests, the centralized HPP process enhanced the nutritional value of several menu items, cutting 25% of sugar and reducing the average number of calories by 34% in each juice as well as lowering the sugar in the wellness shots by 64%, Eckles said
Founded in 2016, Clean Juice has 127 locations and 76 in development.
