Like most Malayalis, natural drinks have always been dear to Sarun Murali. But after the journalist-turned-entrepreneur moved to Qatar for work, he realised that there’s a lot more to beverages than just plain juice. “Having chanced upon a slow juicer, my whole perception about the liquid diet changed,” begins Sarun. “But, I was disappointed to find that we don’t really have a home grown cold-pressed juice brand in Kerala. While Mumbai-based labels like Raw Pressery are available at Lulu Hypermarket, their extended shelf life is a cause for concern,” elaborates the expat. Raw Squeezed, Sarun’s month-old endeavour, offers made to order deliveries across Kochi within two hours.
In essence
As his six-member team delivers a pack of their samples to my office, I can’t help but be a bit sceptical upon seeing the glass bottled serving. Warning me about the low shelf life aspect (48 hours with refrigeration), James Anthony, the chef behind the project, informs that it is a conscious decision. “Our aim is to deliver the product as fresh and pure as possible.” says the ex-Courtyard Marriott employee, adding that the fruits used in their concoctions are imported from around the world, but the vegetables are locally sourced. A sample of their Pure Orange drink—made with the Valencia variant of the fruit—is enough to convince one about their no sugar or preservative philosophy. While the texture is watery (with no visible sediments), it is the mildly sweet concentrated flavour that hits the tongue right away. Having perfected his craft over the last 12 years at properties including Sheraton Dubai, James took over three months to conceptualise the current menu which offers over 10 juicing recipes.
Artisanal fix
Produced using imported equipment from the US—which squeezes diced fruits/vegetables using a weight of six tonnes—Raw Squeezed has a daily delivery capacity of 80-100 bottles.“One of the advantages of this process is the content itself. Each of our 300 ml delivery bottles contains pure juice made of over 800 grammes to 1 kilo of fruits/veggies,” explains James. With their current delivery system covering the whole of Kochi, Sarun and his team are hoping to launch juice kiosks in the city within a year. While the pure categories featuring fruits like pomegranate are flavoursome, don’t forget to try their dietary brews like Miracle Green (spinach, parsley, lemon, green apple, cucumber, celery), if you’re a detox enthusiast.
Single flavours from `120 onwards
Details: rawsqueezed.com