Category: <span>Opinion</span>

The True Price of Organics: Pay today, play later.

October 24, 2015 By Jen Chase

The jig is up.

Give up the ghost.

Stop the madness.

(Your turn to share your fave phrase for calling bullshit.)

Bees, it’s official. Hate to say it, but we know what you think. What you really think. And not all of you, but many. Actually, a lot of you….and you of the Collective You know who you are, always lamenting on Insta and FB about why organic juice is so frigging expensive.

It’s a fact that seems to confound you. Leaves you totally perplexed. Some of you even feign shock that the cost of our cold-pressed juice, nut milks, smoothies, espresso drinks and chewables like salads and fruit leathers and nut butters—all made from the best ingredients that money can buy—is unrealistically high despite taking the very best of something (organic produce) and turning it into the very best of something else (our menu of deliciousness).

Really, Bees. We ask you: Would you not expect two gorgeous copulating people to create a beautiful baby? Don’t other amazing things—chocolate and peanut butter, Parmigiano-Reggiano and a crisp pear, stripes and florals, wine and everything—come together to make the best of the best? That’s what happens when juiceries like The Juice Standard (TJS) decide to commit to using organic produce in their products. The math seems simple: When we use the best, we get the best. And though it’s sometimes a little sad for your wallet, it’s baller for your health.

See, we know our juice is spendy compared to others in the Great Juicy Las Vegas Landscape. TJS’s cold-pressed stuff made from sumptuous, 100-percent organic ingredients is in fact more than the $6, $7 or $8 bottles sold outside our walls. Honestly? As a full-fledged member of Ye Mighty Planet-wide Coalition Of Companies That Sell Organic Ingestibles*, for the life of us we cannot figure out how to politely defend our pricing to all y’all without seeming defensive. And since in our defenselessness our safety lies, instead of flat-out coming off as whiny bitches who just wanna be understood, hows about we use a real-life example of the unabashed price differential between organic food and its conventional cousin?

So last week, TJS’ fearless COO Marcella priced conventional romaine lettuce at $11 a case. Know the price of the very same variety, grown and harvested organically? Between $30 and $40 per case. For the same product!

Same.product.

So for a pile of delicate greens that most assuredly soaked up every blessed pesticide a conventional farmer doused ‘em with to make ‘em grow, TJS paid nearly double for the naked stuff, just to ensure that your bod (and the bods of those you love) stayed healthy and undeniably pesticide free. And beelieve it: With no tough skin to scrub or peel, if the lettuce was fed something like, oh, Roundup, everyone who ate it would eat it, too.

Marcella paid double for your naked lettuce. And it’s a choice she and Jamie make with every order.

If you superstar mathletes out there multiply that kind of price point difference by all the produce we use in our juices, nutmilks and chewables, by now it must be easier to see why every organic product a juicery sells is going to be more expensive than conventional. But we figure it’s worth it, since our products run no risk of getting Roundup into your system.

(Roundup. You know Roundup, right? The stuff that yet again was outed by Reuters to have another lawsuit against it for allegedly causing cancer in the farmers who have long sprayed it on their plants, among others.)

Conventional products, conventionally speaking, aren’t unheard of on conventional farms…but you’ll never have to worry about that with TJS’s organic partner farms. Want proof? Here’s a handful of the as-local-as-we-can-find-‘em farmers we partner with to buy organic produce for your juice:

Thanks to our info graphic-making friends at The Organic Center, we can get a pretty clear visual of how far reaching the choice to buy organic really is.

Nevada Fresh Pak

Cal-Organic Farms

Viva Tierra Organic

Something Good Organics

Grimmway Farms

Del Rey Avocado Company

Jamie and Marcella say this all the time and it bears repeating: You can pay for your health now, or you can pay for your sickness later. Our organics-believing customers respect our choices. We hope you do, too.

So when you see that our juice costs more than the average bear’s, know that we’re not pressing for the Benjamins. We’re pressing for values…and that value is twofold for us: We press for the value of filling our bodies with the most nutrient-dense liquid we can, and we press for the value that today’s care is tomorrow’s prevention.

What are your values?

*not a real coalition. We just have a flare for the dramatic.

Can there BEE such a thing as ‘unhealthy salad?’ Not at TJS!

October 9, 2015 By Jen Chase

HOW on Earth is it that a well-known staple food in our healthy food lexicon has gotten a bad rap? Why, by piling it with a bunch of unhealthies that render its produce a nutritional no-no…unless, of course, the salad you eat is ours. Introducing…the TJS “Chewing Menu.”

So, a recent health headline that kinda made us take a step back was about how overrated salad is (or at least according to the venerable Washington Post). It was in this opinion piece by Tamar Haspel, a thoughtful journey who is well versed in writing about food, food supply issues, farming, and the like, and it made some freaking good points about how there are better ways to get our fruits and vegetables than the salad that society has taught is good for us.

Now. As with all opinion articles it’s important to absorb info with a colossal grain of pink Himalayan sea salt. But Haspel’s point was beeyond interesting: What we throw on a salad can weigh it down so much that our well-intentioned base of veggies we use for this so-called “healthy meal” get lost ‘neath a mountain of animal-based protein, processed add-ons and the crunchy, empty-calorie goodies that often come from factories, not nature.

Haspel even goes on to say that even without all the tasty bits and dressings that can cause more harm than good, the basis of our salads is often a pile of leafy greens with little to no nutritional value. It’d be one thing if we consistently veered toward spinach, kale and chard; but most folks build bowls with a pile of non-organic iceberg, which on the healthy-veg scale is low-low-low.

Harumph.

Does Haspel say we should all stop gettin’ our inner Peter Rabbit on as we graze on raw, gardeny goodness? No. But might the occasional salad of garden-grown greens with richly homemade buttermilk blue cheese dressing and thick-slab, non-hormoned bacon crumbled on top become something of a treat? It might. Beecause if we’re talking pure nutrition here—if we’re really trying to eat for fuel and energy, say, 80 percent of the time and maybe just for “fun” the other 20—there are better ways to get produce into your pretty little system.

Naturally, we’re about to offer up two winning ways to beat the conventional salad backlash. (And in case you were wondering, this absoLUTEly is the point in this post where TJS’s advice swoops in and saves the nutritional day. Ready? ‘Cause it’s happening now….)

1) DRINK your veggies via TJS cold-pressed juice.

2) Eat a salad…as long as it’s ours.

Fo’ sho’ you saw #1 coming. We’re pretty overt about reminding that you can drench your system with 2-3 pounds of organic produce any time you crack open a bottle of our cold-pressed juice. But our salad, you say? Wha?

Yes, Bees. We now have a new “Chewing Menu” that features among other items a field greens salad you may enjoy with a fork or make portable in the most delicious sun dried tomato wrap we’ve ever laid our lips on. Marcella’s and Jamie’s move toward a well-curated chewing menu is to help satisfy Bees’ needs for a nosh to go with a TJS juice. And an organic, thoughtfully crafted salad or wrap turns into near-Nutrition Perfection when washed down with even more produce.

Did you see we mentioned “field greens?” Our salad and wrap do in fact have lettuce, which Haspel
says is, in fact, a banner way to get water into your diet. And when topped with things like raw and organic hemp or chia seeds; raw nuts; and salad dressings with an ingredients list that doesn’t read like the dictionary, a TJS Field-Greens Salad gets clean, organic roughage into your body very easily…and chewing roughage is as important as knowing when to give your digestion a rest by drinking your produce.

When it comes down to it, Bees, nutrition’s about balance. Just like knowing when to hold ‘em. When to fold ‘em. When to walk away and when to run like a mofo. So as you start seeing more and more salads on the farmers table at The Rose, or see folks leaving The Hive with takeaway containers that will give them a healthy lunch, if you find yourself hungry and you’re close by, grab a salad or wrap–maybe some banana leathers or dates filled with Marcella’s kickass cashew-walnut butter—and see how a clean, organic salad can make you feel as light and delicious as it tastes.

Sing it, Kenny.

https://youtu.be/Jj4nJ1YEAp4

TJS Weekend Reads For The Busy Bee

May 22, 2015 By Jen Chase

Green Kitchen Travels is just one in a kickass stack of books at The Rose waiting for you to pick up and flip as you sip. Best enjoyed with something green and tasty like a Bee True To You.

Looking for some weekend reads? Pre-summer brain food? For today’s busy bee, taking a personal time out for a little written-word R&R can mean anything from catching up on food blogs to high-thought books about organics’ regulations…and that range was WAY proven at the Friday morn weekly Team TJS meeting, where as we helped each other plan and prioritize our contribution to the company for the week ahead, we snuck in a little talk time about what we’re reading.

We’re all pretty like-minded…but man, hello diverse! Here are the four titles we realized we’re groovin’ on that we thought we’d mention to you lovelies. Beecause sharing is caring.

Happy weekend, Bees!

WHO…Jamie, co-founder and CEO

SHE’S READING… Fruitless Fall: Collapse of the Honey Bee and the Coming Agricultural Crisis (Rowan Jacobsen)

IT’S ABOUT…the incredibly sad/scary/insert your favorite gutting adjective about what caused honeybees to go AWOL in spring 2007. Citing the plight by its many names (colony collapse disorder; mad bee disease; bee auto-immune deficiency) and using facts and plain-speak like a good investigative food journo should, (plus a lotta bee love), Jacobsen explains how neurotoxin-laced pesticides and even antibiotics used by conventional farmers on flower crops across the country are sickening the bees we need to help pollinate our every three bites of food. If you ever needed a reason for eating organic, Jacobsen does you a solid with his 288 pages.

WHY READ? Change needs to happen when it comes to how we view organic farming, says Jamie. Hard not to feel doomsdayish about the plight of innocent bees. But there’s so much hope if writers like Jacobsen help influence future generations of mindful eaters. His most important audience? The farmers and regulators at national levels who have the ability to keep this from beecoming a decades-long catastrophee.

***

WHO…Mallory, creative director

SHE’S READING…Green Kitchen Travels: Healthy vegetarian food inspired by our adventures by David Frenkiel and Luise Vindahl.

IT’S ABOUT…So there’s this couple. And they’re new parents. And they have a crazy-popular blog where they write crazy-popular posts of food that’s beautiful to eat and look at (Vindahl is a photog and the book and blog sure show it). This second book of theirs features 90 recipes they’ve enjoyed during travels around the world. Vegetarian and/or vegan and almost entirely gluten-free, the dishes stand strong alone; but coupled with the artistry and total passion this duo puts into sharing their love of healthful, mindfully good food, well it’s worth grabbing a green TJS juice and hunkering down for some un-guilty pleasure reading.

WHY READ? Um, did you not just read the above? If for no other reason, read it why Mal is: she loves the story and the recipes.

BONUS BOOM! If you get your juice at The Rose on St Rose Parkway there’s a copy on the communal reading shelf. So go ahead. Sip and flip.

***

WHO…Marcella, co-founder and COO

SHE’S READING…Mating in Captivity: Unlocking Erotic Intelligence by Esther Perel.

IT’S ABOUT…Get yer mind outta the gutter. Yes, “erotic” is in the title but this book is so deep. So. Perel’s a psychotherapist and her long-heralded book is clear and direct in presenting insights about coupledom and sexuality, and how to balance the two. Gays, straights, marrieds, singletons…this book is about conflict resolution and finding peaceful balance in a relationship, and its lessons, if learned early, can help alter your lifelong lens on love and the intimacy sought (and hopefully found) between two people.

WHY READ? Honestly, we hear about this relationship shit on the fly but often don’t develop an understanding about it until we’re in trouble: desire requires distance but intimacy needs proximity, or what’s it takes to keep a spark in a relationship. Whether you have an A+ relationship or you’re looking for one, there’s no bad time to pick up this puppy, and a refresher will always make you better. Ask Marce. She’s so wise.

***

WHO…Jen, content director

SHE’S READING…Kundalini Yoga, The Flow of Eternal Power by Khakti Parwha Kaur Khalsa

IT’S ABOUT…With the heading, “A Simple Guide to the Yoga of Awareness,” this book is like Kundalini For Dummies. Khalsa was taught by Yogi Bhajan, Ph.D., the daddy of kundalini and the gem responsible for bringing it to the West, and it’s written with the same humor and lightness Bhajan’s teachings are known for. A flavor of yoga that weaves song, chant and meditation with movement to increase the body’s kundalini energy, it’s an easy-to-follow guide covering how we can yoga ourselves toward ultimate health and wellness.

WHY READ? Kundalini is an acquired taste, but don’t be fooled: it can be way more aerobic of body and mind than it seems at first blush. And for anyone who’s dabbled, this book lends deeper meaning to what’s done in a class. Essential for anyone who’s hooked on kundalini as a tool for navigating the day while connecting to something higher…both in the Universe and in ourselves.

Evolution’s Announcement, HPP (Or Not) And You

April 21, 2015 By Jen Chase

HPP ain’t the way to bee (for The Juice Standard) but many juiceries use the process. We don’t judge…but we do have opinions. Read below and decide for yourself what’s best for your WHealth™.

True: All that cucumbery goodness would keep in an HPP bottle for up to six weeks, but where’s the honest-to-goodness freshness in that? We don’t judge companies that use HPP…but we won’t.

Did you see today’s news about how Evolution Fresh (makers of cold-pressed juices and smoothies) is adding a bevvy of fruit and veggie juices to its already gargantuan lineup? (It’s not long. You can read it here.) This spring, five new flavors of its cold-pressed juice—plus a current flavor already in its repertoire—will join Evolution’s 42 others…but they’ll be available in smaller bottles (11 ounces vs. the 15.2 ounce-bottles they make now).

As always, juicy news of any variety gives us reason for pause because there isn’t a company on the planet that doesn’t get a little antsy when someone does something different. But instead of useless hand wringing, Evolution’s announcement gives us a perfect podium for talking about something major we think sets The Juice Standard from the rest:

We’re committed to sourcing organic, and we don’t use the process called HPP.

What’s HPP, you wonder? “High pressure processing.” It’s a technique that lets juice producers extend the shelf life of their product by up to six weeks. Now, that’s rad for sales…but honestly, TJS beelieves that juice is pretty much dead by then. And since we’ve built our biz around the premise that juice should in fact be super fresh, vital, and rich with the enzymes Mother Effen Nature intended, we’d never dream of using HPP to bottle our juice. ‘Cause like our name says…we gots standards.

In our bumblebee-humblebee opinion, HPP is something to avoid. But to be fair—because around here we beelieve in karma—we get why companies use the process. There’s also plenty of lit on the Internets about why and how this process isn’t as damaging as people like us think. But we just happen to think that our way is the best way…both for our WHealth™, and yours. No disrespect to those who do it different. It’s simply not our choice.

The juicery playground is an expansive space. Lots of options out there. Our hope is simply to be a bastion of awesome information so you can make the best decisions possible. Meantime, see you as you stock up on TJS’ raw, cold-pressed, committed-to-organics, knock-your-socks-off-tasty, badass Singleton bottles at Ft. Apache, The Rose, or The Buzz over at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas.