When life gives you lemons, make lemonade … Well that’s what they say.
In the case of Prodjuice, the lemons are deliberately imperfect and always taste exquisite.
Established in 2013 by former cafe owner and juice aficionado Anne Durham, Prodjuice is her Northern Beaches-based cold pressed juice brand gaining a Sydney-wide following.
Durham started the business a few months after the birth of her daughter, Edie. She had hoped it would give her better work-life balance after years in hospitality. The popularity of Prodjuice has disappointed in that regard. But in the best possible way.
“It’s great – we love what we do. We’re making a high-quality, healthy product which is also kind to the environment.”
The Prodjuice range includes 10 fruit, vegetable and almond-milk combinations. The Beetroot, celery, lemon and apple balances earthiness with a tangy, tart edge. The activated almond with cacao, vanilla, dates and sea salt is the perfect remedy to an ice-chocolate craving. As for Durham’s favourite, the pineapple, lemongrass and apple – it’s fragrant, sweet and mellow.
Following the trend from the US, the growing popularity of cold-pressed juices in Australia is hard to ignore. The production process differs from conventional juicing: it doesn’t use any blades and so in the making of the juice no heat is generated. Instead, juice is extracted with a high-pressure hydraulic press.
“Cold pressing works slowly, so it keeps fruit and vegetables at a very low temperature. This allows the integrity of the produce to remain ‘alive,’” says Durham. Prodjuice is made locally and pressed in small batches. Each is batch-tasted and bottled by hand.
The Prodjuice range looks almost too good to drink in clear, lab-style glass bottles. “Glass is very important to us, for health and the environment. Customers love to reuse their bottles at home, and we're also happy to take them back.”
The company sources all its produce from small farms as locally as possible. Prodjuice then composts all by-products, which it uses themselves, donates to local community gardens, and gives away at market stalls.
“It’s also great to be able to reduce the wastage of the gorgeous second-grade fruit and veg that won’t make it for sale, but is perfect for juicing.”
Available for pick-up at The Local Harvest Collective, Saturdays 9.30am–1pm on the rooftop of Paramount Coffee Project, 80 Commonwealth Street, Surry Hills.
For more stockists, see prodjuice.com.au
