Ecofriendly cold-pressed juice line gives ugly produce a second chance
Juice line set to launch July 11 with prices at $4.95 per bottle
Loop Juice will give some of the 6,000 tons of ugly produce destined for the dumpster a second life in the form of cold-pressed juices.
The juices will be healthy for consumers and their wallets — they sell for about 40 per cent less than their competitors at $4.95 for 12 ounces instead of the typical $8 or $10.
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The owners of Loop Juice, Julie Poitras-Saulnier, Frédéric Monette and David Côté are collecting the to-be discarded imperfect-looking fruit and vegetables from Courchesne Larose, a local distribution company.
Frédéric Monette is the co-founder of Loop Juice and vice president of operations at Courchesne Larose. He told CBC Montreal's Daybreak they felt the need to do their part after seeing how much waste inevitably happens in distribution.
Frédéric Monette teamed up with David Côté, co-founder and president of Crudessence and Rise Kombucha, along with sustainability specialist, Julie Poitras-Saulnier to launch the new product.
Poitras-Saulnier said there is no loss in the entire process. Even the pulp left over from the juicing is reused.
"We give it to a company that makes food for cats and dogs," she told CBC Montreal's Daybreak.
The ugly produce issue is still fairly new to Canada. In the UK, the campaign Ugly Really is Beautiful is one of many initiatives seeking to educate consumers about food waste. The grocery store Sainsbury's has also stepped up and made a point of putting ugly produce on the shelves.
Loop Juice will be hitting shelves July 11. They are slated to be in 40 different grocery stores and health food stores in Quebec, including Les Marchés Tau, Les 5 Saisons and Metro supermarkets.