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April 27, 2016
The Gateway to Green Juice
A Behind-the-Scenes Look at Sweet Greens
They say you always remember your first. So Sweet Greens will always hold a special place in our hearts. In addition to being our gateway flavor to green juice, it was also the first Juicero flavor to debut in March 2014.
How do you make a green juice with bold flavors that aren’t overpowering and that are balanced between sweetness and acidity?
Way back when, Product Development Manager Simona Vallone and team were tasked to come up with an easy-drinking green juice that also incorporated not-so-easy-drinking kale. The strong, sulfurous cabbage-like notes that define kale’s taste make it challenging to drink without some doctoring.
A relative newcomer to green juice, Simona used salad as inspiration. She set out to cut kale’s sulfur notes with something sweet and refreshing. First choosing apples for the antioxidant possibilities and also because it’s a familiar flavor. Then, thinking “green”—as in the color green—kiwi came to mind. The color was perfect, but the flavor lacked uniqueness. The game-changer was pineapple—with its good tart sweetness and unique tropical flavors, it was a slam-dunk of bold, complementary flavors.
Still wanting a more vibrant green color, she added spinach and a dash of lemon. Many of the taste-testers insisted that there must be food coloring in their juice because it was too green. Sure, having your juice be so naturally green that it seems unnatural is an ironic issue to have, but actually, that’s what it’s supposed to look like when ripe, raw, organic fruits and vegetables are freshly pressed.
It took a few months and countless tastings to pull it all together, but there it is: An easy drinking green juice that’s as refreshing as it is bold. Pro tip: add vegan gelatin to the juice to make “Jello.”
A Quick Look Inside the Pack
- The average American should consume up to 5 cups of fruits and vegetables a day, but in reality only consumes 1.7 cups on average.
- There are 3.4 total cups of fruits and vegetables in a Sweet Greens Pack.
- Spinach is the biggest portion of the five ingredients in the Pack at 1.6 cups, followed by apples and then kale, where a little goes a long way.
- We love kale for its carotenoids, a category of phytonutrients including lutein and zeaxanthin that may help promote healthy vision.