THE JUICERYⓇ BERLIN

€€€€

No Berlin-visit can go by without having been to “The Juicery”. It is located right next to the Mauerpark, so you can also take your juice, smoothie or bowl on a walk.  Ideally you would take it to go in a container you brought, but if you forgot it is not too bad since all the packaging is made of cornstarch and compostable. The açaí bowl is the best I have ever had in the entirety of my life (it has the perfect consistency and no where in the world has my bowl been graced with so many fresh berries or toppings), the smoothies always surprise your taste buds with new flavor (as in the “Passion for Ido” where sweet, sour and fresh work together synergistically to create a previously unknown taste experience) or texture combinations (such as the chia seeds in the blueberry kale). All the produces used are organic and ripened to perfection.

As I have grown to love the creations of The Juicery more and more with each visit, I knew I had to sit down with the founder. I was so fascinated by the high quality of the produces, the combination of the juices and the curation going into all of this. Seydi was so kind as to answer a few of my questions, before which I enjoyed a sugar cane juice with lime, an açaí bowl and the newest of his creations- newtella (HEAVEN)!

(Seydi with Newtella)

How did The JuiceryⓇ of Berlin come to life?

It all started with experimenting with different types of diets whilst I was working out a lot- back then it was low carb, now they call it ketogenic, you know they always find new words and terms. This is what confuses the consumer- they are exposed to two contradicting facts or studies so that it is hard to decide which one is the“right“ one. Then I zoomed out, took a step back to see my progress and how far I have come in achieving my fitness goals, only to realize that I didn’t make any progress at all. I was always very lazy and didn’t dream to cut up some fruit for myself. However, I remember that I always enjoyed the taste of fruit when my mother was so kind as to prepare them for me. Then I remembered how light, good and energized I felt when eating fruit. This sensation in combination with my desire to create good in this world and society, lead me to embark on a journey of seeking (self) fulfillment. I read many books about philosophy and diet…I knew I had to take this leap of faith, ignore this steadiness I have built and simply risk it, go all in. In front of my old shop I started with offering 2 juices on Sunday’s- people came up to me, they wanted to take pictures. I felt that I offered something people were drawn to, they cherished this work, which in turn motivated me again. What stuck with me from many biographies I read was something along the lines of: You have to do something that you really love so that you do not have to work another day in your life. So I asked myself what I loved and it is this curating and stimulating of senses- the visual, the olfactory, the flavor. Going to the wholesale market I felt like a child in a candy store. Then everything just came together and moved quite quickly. We opened our doors in September 2014. The most important lesson I have learnt during this process is that your attitude is key- what you bring to the situation is what you get. Life became my private teacher. 

You use organic ingredients only, why is that important to you?

What I strive to do here with The JuiceryⓇ is a steadiness in terms of quality or even improve upon what we offer to our customers. Right from when we started, we offered organic produces only. When you offer something that solely has to do with health and well-being it only makes and is the next logical step, a no brainer so to speak. You need to differentiate between what you fuel your body with – if you treat your body well and want to do good, organic produces are key! Another factor we look out for is flexibility- we always try to realize the wishes of our customers, but advise them that sometimes leaving out an ingredient might make something less creamy and things as such. So we try to collaborate and work out a way where both parties are happy. 

How did you go from 3 Juices to this vas variety you offer today? 

I didn’t take any of the creations from recipe books, they did not appeal to me as much. I listened to senses, taste buds- so started with myself and what I liked best. I worked three months on the recipe of the açai bowl before putting it into writing. I have now developed 3 criterion based on which I create my juices and smoothies: 1) DO IT HEALTHY Everything has to come from nature, meaning that it is unprocessed. Cacao powder is the grounded bean, or dates to sweeten instead of maple syrup. 2)DO IT TASTY It has to taste good and speak to the taste buds. I look out for the temperatue, consistency, a balance between sour and sweet, if the taste should unfold more at the beginning or finish. 3) DO IT SEXY. We are all aesthetics, you eat with your eyes. 4) DO IT FRIENDLY. I want to give something to people and watching their faces when eating you can really see that something is happening inside of them. These are the 4 criterion I apply to my work. 

You always curate and find special and exquisite produces, how do you go about this process?

I always try to discover anew what nature has given to us to feel good and re-sensitize my taste buds, such as replacing sugar with dates, an energy drink with ginseng. It is a journey of continuous discovery, where you perception is changed constantly. 5 years ago no one would have been able to tell you what chia seeds are, now they are a staple. For the birch water I traveled to Latvia- I want to experience it first hand at first to see what it does to my body. This way I explore new produces and creations. 

What is your favorite juice/smoothie? 

After I was physically active I go for something very refreshing and lemony such as the YELLOW DETOX or APPLE BERRY. If I crave something sweeter I usually go for coconut- I could eat coconuts for the rest of my life, which is why I make a lot with coconuts. 

What are the future plans for The JuiceryⓇ? 

We do consulting for others where we teach things such as work flow optimization, where and how to shop (good quality, when something is ripe and sweet), how to store the produces on location. Other than that we are working on opening more locations of The JuiceryⓇ. So stay tuned! 

MerkenMerken