Maglio Produce Bets Big on Organic Juice

Wisconsin-based Maglio Produce recognizes the opportunity of embracing advances in the organic produce industry. When a young entrepreneur approached the company two years ago about buying organic produce for his juice kitchen, company President Sam Maglio, Jr., took the time to understand the entrepreneur’s needs---and the long-tern opportunity for his company.

The concept of the new start-up--and the individual behind it--was too much to pass up.  “He was highly driven and we saw the upside of investing time, funding and facilities in his startup, Healthy Roots,” said Maglio.

Sam Maglio Jr., President, Maglio Produce

While Maglio Produce was drawing up plans for a new facility to produce Healthy Roots cold-pressed organic juice, another juice company approached Maglio about supplying fresh squeezed micro filtered juice for bars and restaurants. Together, the two juice clients inspired Maglio to create a new Readyjuice division and facility, and become Wisconsin’s first organic certified cold-pressed juicer.

The cold-pressed process uses a hydraulic press to slowly extract liquid from organic fresh fruits and vegetables. The high nutrient content of the juice reflects the benefits of processing without exposure to heat or oxygen that can destroy nutrients.

Bottled, cold-pressed juice requires pasteurization to achieve a 5 log reduction in bacteria, so Maglio recently installed equipment necessary for HPP treatment under a separate company called Safety Fresh Foods. Maglio said the company’s HPP-treated juice has a refrigerated shelf life of 45-90 days that opens up many retail doors that were previously closed due to worry over shrink losses.

Newly installed HPP treatment facility.

Readyjuice offers organic single fruit lime, lemon, grapefruit, watermelon, pineapple and oranges juices, as well as organic blends made from apple, carrot, kale, watermelon, cucumber, spinach, beet, pineapple, lemon and lime. Maglio continues to work on new items for its cold-pressed line, including two-ounce “wellness shots,” a 12-ounce functional “immunity” blend, a 750ml container for bars and restaurants, and liter ‘family size’ pouches with taps to allow for juice dispensing without exposure to air, similar to a boxed wine.

“We are working on a new pouch design to minimize the settling of particulates in the pouch, and then we will be ready to hit the retail and foodservice marketplaces," Maglio said, adding, “We use the brand Healthy Roots for our 100 percent USDA organic juices and prominently display the organic symbol on the label. We also can private label and co-pack for our customers.”

Additionally, in season, Readyjuice sources from organic farmers and encourages them to supply imperfect produce to help reduce food waste on the farm. 

Maglio stresses the importance of education through the supply chain to getting the product into consumer’s hands.  “We meet with associates from all levels within the store to help them understand why organic cold-pressed juice is different. We showcase the entire organic ingredient list on the front of the product and provide point of sale material. In-store demos are what really drive sales” Maglio said.   “Looking at the ingredient list of a green juice might cause customers to cringe, but once they taste the juice, they will be sold.”