Promoting healthy lifestyle

Sunaina Rana / EMIRATES BUSINESS

Aiming to make a foothold in the UAE juice market, Juice in Time is an original and innovative juicing system that originated in Brazil, which helps to make natural fruit juices in offices, cafeterias or at home without a blender, sink, dishes or running water. The Juice in Time system is a hassle-free solution that allows one to choose one’s favourite blend of fruits to transform to one’s favourite juice drink.
The Juice in Time offers a very simple process which involves using capsules filled with frozen fruit pulp. This revolutionary form of juice making helps promote and encourage people to adopt a healthy lifestyle.
As the on-trade UAE Juice market is set to reach value of AED 740 million according to Euromonitor International, Juice in Time is all groomed up to cater to the local market, with its headquarter established in Dubai, the UAE Operation Hub is ready to share this unique experience and open new markets in the Middle East, North Africa and Russia.
Nicholas Daher, Managing Director of ‘Juice in Time’, ventured into the world of juice after discovering the unique, innovative and healthy idea of creating juice at your disposal. He talks to Emirates Business about his endeavour into the Middle East.

EXCERPTS FROM THE CONVERSATION

Please share your insight on the Juice market in GCC?
The last few years saw the GCC and especially Saudi and UAE population inching towards healthier alternatives in food and drink, thanks to growing awareness of health and wellness. 2014 saw a continuation of the trend, with an increasing number of consumers opting for healthier eating and drinking alternatives. As Internet penetration is increasing rapidly, consumers are becoming more aware of the latest lifestyle trends followed in the Western world. This has not only led to the expansion of the diet and healthfood sections in supermarkets and hypermarkets. Consequently, demand for healthier food and drink, including juice, has picked up.

According to Euromonitor International the on-trade UAE Juice market is to reach value of AED740 million, what do you have to say
regarding that?
This trend is among all the GCC countries, and the UAE is the second largest behind Saudi Arabia. We see those numbers with optimism and, actually this is one of the reasons to choose the UAE as the point of our operation Kick off in the region.

Can you share your companies previous year’s turnover?
Juice In time Brazil is a new company, it is a start-up , even though invested around US$2 million during its 3 to 4 years of research had reach the turnover of almost 2 million Brazilian Real in 1 real full sales in 2015, and this is quite impressive for a company that just began in the last quarter of 2013, we can say beginning of 2014 .
We have just started our venture here in the UAE form this year and we are hoping for the similar results.

What led for Juice in Time?
The passion of the inventor, Marcos Pinotti, for juices, and lack of time to buy fruit, depeal, squizz, or blend, made him quit from his Job as a consultant in a Multinational Software company and dedicate his full time with a team of some engineers in 2010, and partnership with a major university, to reach the actual model end of 2013.

What makes Juice in Time different from the other products in the market?
Juice in time is not only different; I can say that it is unique. It is a full processed system, with 100 percent Brazilian technology, the most similar to our Juice in time are the famous coffee machine, and still with a major difference, which is, not touching the capsules at all, product just in contact with water. Hand free, sugar free, no colorants and no preservatives, 100 percent natural

What kind of technology is used to build the product?
The technology is about the full system, the machine, the Cup, the capsule designed in a way to lock the fresh fruit smashed and filled there. Freezing is the only way to preserve fruit without altering what nature has prepared for us. The system Juice in Time is able to process the frozen food without food contact equipment. This causes no contamination and the equipment no need not be washed at every juice. The consequence of this is that the system can be installed inside companies where employees themselves are served. Coffee shops also benefit because the frozen capsules have a shelf life too large and the system is very agile. An experienced operator can deliver up to 3 juices / minute.

Considering the fast forward lifestyle in today’s time, is the product economical and time saving?
100 percent this is our main reason of inventing Juice in Time, which name could be easily confused with ‘Just in time’, or if you want, answering your question “Juice in no-time”, 1 minute to prepare 100 percent natural Juice, healthy and fresh for our rushing days and price is similar or cheaper of what you can find today as an alternative in the market, with all the convenience of having it at your doorstep and prepare it in a finger click.

What kind of clientele are you looking at?
Our clients are eclectics, can go from a kiosk in a shopping center or a commercial street, to gyms, hospitals, schools and to the cafeterias or pantry of any company interested in spreading the healthy habits within the employees.

Being a Brazilian company, what made you explore GCC?
The historical relation between Brazil and the GCC and the large trade between our regions, the leading position of Brazil when it comes to agriculture, making from Brazilian products very well accepted, encouraged us to bet on this market as our 1st export operation. Beside this situation, we need always to focus on the strategic markets and GCC is one of the most important along with China and India.

What is the business prospect in the region?
The region is inching towards healthier alternatives in food and drink, thanks to growing awareness of health and wellness. I can only see positive insight and growing markets along with natural population growth. Countries across the Middle East have rapidly rising population, resulting in the exponential growth of the economy.
The new generation has been witnessed being more health conscious, which is why our product has a very
positive prospect in the region.

Any future expansion plans?
Yes, this is the Juice in time expansion plan, happening now. We are already under negotiation with companies in the USA, UK, Ireland, New Zealand. In Spain, we already finalised the conversation, chose the partner and sending our 1st load to initiate the operation. In Canada we are on the same way of Spain and will be attending Sial Canada in April 2016.