STATEN ISLAND, NY — Suzanne Schechtman goes from buying hundreds of pounds of fruits and vegetables to shredding and using a hydraulic press and 10,000 pounds of force to extract all the sweet, natural juices from her produce. to start. This is a slow cold-pressing process that preserves all of the live enzymes and nutrients that are normally killed in mass production pasteurization processes. And while her rare fresh beet and carrot concoction should be quickly flown off the shelves by health-conscious customers, much of it is kept in the refrigerator for three days before being tossed into the trash. .
Raw cold-pressed juices are at the heart of Annadale’s pure juice business. (Staten Island Advance/Pamela Silvestri)
“It’s a very fresh raw product, so it has a short shelf life, only four to five days,” says Shechtman, adding that all the time spent making one 16-ounce bottle of juice, I elaborated on labor, expensive produce. “You can’t put a price on health. People don’t understand that two pounds of vegetables are packed into one bottle, which is part of a healthy eating pattern. Growing inflation has doubled the price of ingredients since my store opened, making it difficult to make ends meet. If you’re paying, why wouldn’t anyone want to pay $9 for a healthy juice?”
Launched in July 2020 and named by Schechtman as the only cold-press juicer on Staten Island, Annadale’s Pure Juicery was a huge success in its first few months before sales started to decline.
Schechtman says he uses only fresh, mostly organic ingredients to make his food and juices. (Staten Island Advance/Pamela Silvestri)
“It’s been two and a half years, and we’re still struggling to stay in business,” says Schechtman. “Commodity prices have skyrocketed and the costs of running this small business are basically out of control.”
Shechtman, a self-professed juice planner and former athlete who grew up drinking fresh juice before swimming competitions, said she couldn’t understand why the concept wasn’t more widespread.
“I’ve always enjoyed juicing my own fruits and vegetables at home, so it’s always been my lifestyle,” she said. One of the things that struck me was that there were no fresh juices here.These stores are so trendy in California and Manhattan, I couldn’t understand why they weren’t here.”
Toast topped with fresh berries and other healthy ingredients are some of Pure Juicery’s bestsellers. (Photo credit: @kass.studio)(Photo credit: @kass.studio)
So Chefman and husband Brian combined his food manufacturing background with her love of fresh juices to invest in all of the right tools and technology to bring health to an area that seemed like nothing. I decided to bring you a better alternative.
“There are a lot of fast food options here, but none of them are really healthy,” says Schechtman. “So we started a business based on juices, then added gourmet he toasts, wraps, salads, acai bowls, vegan he energy bites, smoothies and more.”
Mediterranean toast is topped with hummus, cucumber, feta cheese and red onions. (Photo credit: @kass.studio)(Photo credit: @kass.studio)
Located in the heart of Annadale, just steps away from the train station, Schechtman thought the Hulk and Almond Java drink would be the perfect pick-me-up for commuters, but the interest isn’t there.
“We just want to raise awareness about how healthy food can taste,” says Schechtman. “We have great cold brew coffee and irresistible banana Nutella smoothies. Avocado toast and grilled chicken paninis are a delicious and healthy lunch alternative. There’s a lot more on the menu than that.”
Pure Juicery’s acai and pitaya bowls come in eight varieties and retail for about $10. (Photo credit: @kass.studio)(Photo credit: @kass.studio)
Items include chicken, avocado, coriander, and pineapple Hawaiian wraps, and Brie and fig jam toast. Dragon Belly Peanut Butter Bowl contains pitaya, granola, banana and coconut flakes. Ham and Swiss paninis are a true cold-weather comfort food and healthier.
“People think we’re all cold-pressed juices, but there’s a lot of delicious gourmet food here, and the prices are the same as every other lunch spot in the borough,” Schechtman explained.
Grilled paninis are stuffed with grilled chicken, fresh cheese and more. (Photo credit: @kass.studio)(Photo credit: @kass.studio)
Pure Juicery is open 6 days a week (closed on Sundays) and sells bottled juices and smoothies made on demand. Smoothies (usually $8) are sold for $6 every Tuesday.
“We try to drive business wherever we can,” concludes Schechtman. “We use the freshest ingredients and put our heart and soul into what we make. We hope consumers will take the time to visit this little juicer and see exactly what we offer.”
“Because this is a very fresh raw product, it has a short shelf life, only 4-5 days. Photo courtesy @kass.studio)(Photo credit: @kass.studio)
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