This cold-pressed juice company is revolutionising Kerala’s culinary scene

Imagine it’s date night and you’re eating at a fine-dining establishment. But, things aren’t going down well and you find yourself wondering, “Seriously?! How hard can it be to launch and run a food and beverage (F&B) outlet smoothly?”. 

Most laymen think that making it big in the hospitality industry is a cakewalk. Yet, at Indulge, we’re aware of how difficult things can get, especially since many city-based spots shut shop on a weekly basis. Which is why it’s worth celebrating when trailblazing F&B companies like RawSqueezed (rawsqueezed.com)—the folks behind Kerala’s first made-to-order cold-pressed juice brand—adapt and thrive.  

The brainchild of journalist-turned-entrepreneur Sarun Murali, who currently works with Al Jazeera in Qatar, this brand isn’t just about delicious antioxidant-filled drinks that have zero additives/sugar/water anymore. “We’ve gone from dispatching a few bottles on day one to delivering 100s across the city—even into the cancer-care ward of a major hospital. The orders started pouring in after people realised we use almost a kilo of fruits/veggies to extract 300 ml of pure juice,” begins Sarun, adding, “Now, we provide diet-conscious patrons the option of interacting with our consultant nutritionist and charting out customised, calorie-specific, subscription meal plans.”

Pressing their luck
This aforementioned spread isn’t cut vegetables that are packed in a pretty, biodegradable box. The culinary expertise of chef James Antony—who has more than a decade of global hospitality industry experience—is apparent in their range of products including organic smoothies, premium sandwiches, wraps, raw salads and hot/cold soups.

We recommend Bliss (a smoothie of almond, cocoa powder, dates, tender coconut, vanilla); some piping-hot gazpacho soup; and their substantial cobb salad composed of Roquefort cheese, beef bacon, boiled chicken breast, avocado, and lettuce tossed in a balsamic vinaigrette dressing. If you’re planning to sign-up for a diet cleanse, then the company offers various juicing plans such as: Detox, Burn, Energy, Timeless, and Glow.

“We source organic produce from Chilavanoor-based FarmersFZ, and have tie ups with a farm in Ooty. Post the floods, we’re also supporting local farmers who provide pesticide-free products,” shares Sarun, who is currently working on opening  branches in Thiruvananthapuram, Thrissur, and Kottayam, and drawing up plans to launch a brick-and-mortar restaurant serving only Raw Squeezed products.

 anoop.p@newindianexpress.com
@godsonlymistake