HB 006: Juicing from Kauai Juice Co. – Staying Healthy on Vacation in Hawaii

Amy Eldreth 0:00

Sometimes people move here and they think that it's gonna be just an extended vacation and they get to be on the beach and do waterfall hikes. And you know where that is our reality. We also have to work really hard to be you

Bryan Murphy 0:13

listen to Amy Ellsworth, social media director for Hawaii juice co on the island of Hawaii. And later on in our conversation, you're gonna hear more about life on Kauai and Hawaii. in general. We also talked a lot about health and the benefits of juicing and my confession of not knowing what cold pressed juicing is. And maybe that's you we're going to unpack a little bit about the benefits of cold press juicing, but also we get to hear the story behind Co Op juice CO and how they started with kabocha back in 2010. And what they're up to now and how they're all about sourcing locally on the island of Koi. So stay tuned and let's cue the intro.

Hawaii's Best 0:58

Aloha Welcome to Hawaii. Best podcasts, learn the stories behind Hawaii's Best experiences, influencers and businesses. Discover everything that makes Hawaii the Aloha state. And now your host Brian Murphy. Well welcome

Bryan Murphy 1:14

to Episode Six of Hawaii's Best in at Hawaii's Best. We exist to explore the best of Hawaii and his experiences, businesses and influencers and we get to hear the story from the people behind them and today is no exception that we get to hear about the story behind khoy juice CO and like I mentioned quiet juice co was was started back in 2010. And the heart of Hawaii juice CO is all about sourcing locally and providing the freshest ingredients possible in their juice. I want you to stay tuned for this one because we're going to talk a lot about what life is like living on the island of Hawaii and Amy has an insider's view on And maybe you're considering about moving to the islands. Or maybe you're just wondering about what is life like moving from the mainland to one of the islands. And Amy has a great perspective on that. So you're gonna want to stay tuned. Right now, I just wanted to encourage you to hit subscribe, and leave a review because that helps other people who love Hawaii, who love to travel, be able to find this podcast and be able to find this conversation in this community. So once you to consider that just want to say thank you for listening today. And right now let's join Amy from Hawaii juice Co.

Amy, thanks so much for joining us today. How are you doing today?

Amy Eldreth 2:45

Doing great. Thanks so much for having me.

Bryan Murphy 2:47

Absolutely. Hey, tell me a little bit about yourself and we'll get into quiet use but what are you up to and what's life look like for you right now?

Amy Eldreth 2:56

Yeah, so I live here and Island up Who I and I've lived here for, for going on five years now. And every day this island has something special. I'm so blessed to be here and

Bryan Murphy 3:09

yeah. Where'd you move from?

Amy Eldreth 3:11

I'm from Delaware originally.

Bryan Murphy 3:13

Okay, what brought you all the way out to Hawaii?

Amy Eldreth 3:17

Basically, when I graduated college, I kind of took a trip and I went around to all the different Hawaiian islands and I was here on Kauai for one day. And I was like, that's gonna be my home like I love it here. I felt like such a, like a spiritual like energy here and pretty much just packed up my whole life and drove across country and bought a one way ticket. I've been here for almost five years. So it's pretty cool.

Bryan Murphy 3:41

Talk a little bit about your experiences on the other islands. How would you compare that to Koi?

Amy Eldreth 3:47

They're all so beautiful. I think each one has like its own unique, you know, energy and presence to it. But there's just something special about Hawaii that maybe it was like the dramatic scenery Maybe it was just like, I think that for me quiet was just my favorite one.

Bryan Murphy 4:05

It's a special place like just the pace the people. Yeah, the vibe. The whole island is feels like a whole like like this country and small town. Yeah.

Amy Eldreth 4:17

Yeah. I love that too.

Bryan Murphy 4:19

So how did you get connected with quiet juice?

Amy Eldreth 4:22

So I was a customer of Hawaii juice company for a long time. And we opened a new location up on the south side of Hawaii. And pretty much I like, I don't want to say harassed is the right word, but I was like, I went to the owner and I was like, so basically, I am obsessed with usco. And it's a place that I like really see myself being it's a place that I see like, it's just an infectious place to be. So I was like, please just hire me. And then I started working there and then I've taken over the social media for the company. I am a new manager of the company and it's just everything is just super exciting.

Bryan Murphy 5:06

Yeah, you harass or hustle or right. Whatever. Yeah. Yeah. So you took on you took on the social. And that's been growing like crazy.

Amy Eldreth 5:19

Yeah. Uh huh. So I took it over about a year and a half ago, okay. It's just been awesome for me not to only see like, you know, the positive effects that like the Hawaii has on the community and the world tell you the truth. But also like, Well, our little company that started out with just like a few employees has really grown to be so it's, it's been an honor for me to tell you the truth.

Bryan Murphy 5:45

Awesome. It started in 2010. Yep. What was the vision behind launching the company?

Amy Eldreth 5:52

So the owner's name is Crystal and she's a truly amazing woman who has always had this intention to connect On the island and community of Hawaii to provide health benefits for it. So she started out just brewing kombucha, and then from the kombucha it kind of turned into getting all the farmers involved and then growing it into a juice company, and it's become way more than just producing kombucha at this point. But she really wanted to make sure that it was like a sustainable company, and that the farmers that are here in Hawaii also benefit as well. And that was something that's super, and still is very important to us today, you know, about 80 to 85% of our produce has actually grown right here on Kauai. So we have farmers growing, like directly for us because of our demand that we've given to them. So it's really cool.

Bryan Murphy 6:43

I mean, those are relationships built obviously over the years and of course, that's awesome. How did you approach those farmers

Amy Eldreth 6:50

Um, so I'm not sure the exact way how she did it, but I know that she's been on island for a long time and you know, she has made all these relations Ships through. I mean, the island of Hawaii is such a small community and you tend to know everyone just by I mean, she was going to a farmers market selling her kombucha and, you know, got to know a lot of farmers that way too. But, you know, it's also doing a lot of outreach and know the story. You guys still make kombucha for

Bryan Murphy 7:19

you. Yeah. But going to juice the vision behind that was something a bit more sustainable, and that would partner with local farmers. Exactly.

Amy Eldreth 7:30

Yeah, exactly. Yeah.

Bryan Murphy 7:32

So now you started on the south. So So and then how many locations? What does that look like?

Amy Eldreth 7:40

So actually, our very first location we had a little shop in chapala town, which is on the side of the island, and it was just a little window and that's where like the brewing was done for all the kombucha and it was literally like the little window and from there we moved into a different location right across A street in chapala town which just, you know, allowed for more room and we could put our fridges in there and everything and yeah, so then we went from a store and then we branched out to Callaway on the North Shore. And then our newest location, which has been about two years that we've had there is on the south side. So

Bryan Murphy 8:19

what would you say? What, what attributed to the growth? Like, why was it becoming such a popular,

Amy Eldreth 8:26

um, I think at the time called crush juice, especially on mainland was kind of booming at the same time too. But I think that, you know, the community of Hawaii really recognized that this was something super important and, you know, in every juice bottle, you're getting, like five pounds of greens and five pounds of produce. So like, Well, you know, that's a lot easier than you know, just sitting there eating like a huge pile of like, salad or whatever, you know, right. I think not only was like the cold pressed juice and kombucha like kind of growing but I think it was something that co I's community Really? No. acknowledge that we needed to. Yeah,

Bryan Murphy 9:04

I gotta be honest with you Like when I first heard the phrase cold press. Yeah, I was like, Oh, my juice is already cold. It's in the fridge.

Unknown Speaker 9:12

Yeah. Yeah.

Bryan Murphy 9:16

Okay, good. Fine. Yeah, it's cool. Like, I don't want warm juice. Right, right. Okay, so maybe this quickly, kind of like a 30,000 foot view, like what is cold press?

Amy Eldreth 9:29

Yeah. So, cold pressing is basically the type of juicing where all the enzymes and nutrients stay in tax completely for 72 hours. So basically, for three days you are not losing any nutrients from the produce that you're using. So basically, like if you were using like a juicer at home or it's like, you know, like grinding it up or like spinning it anything like that, but because of the heat that's in there it is losing nutrients. So basically, when you buy a pool press juice is retaining 100% of the nutrient nutritional value for three days. So it doesn't go bad after three days, that's just when it starts to like, lose a little bit of the enzymes and nutrients. But yeah, you have three days to drink it. So that's why it's such a cool thing. So you don't have to drink it right away. And it's not pasteurized either. So you're getting it's all just fresh, you know, produce, which is really awesome.

Bryan Murphy 10:30

What's your guys's most popular juice?

Amy Eldreth 10:33

I think we have several. I mean, our menu is so vast and it really just depends some days, all the green juices sell and other days you know, all the sweet juices sell. So we probably have one called the glow, which is probably one of our most popular until it's too fat greens but it's got some sweet in there too. And then something called the Omega is pretty special. It's like one of our sweeter juices. It's got all locally grown fruit and it's pretty cool stuff that you don't think see anywhere else to it's felt like dragon fruit and sour sauce and mango in there too. It's pretty amazing. what's what's your favorite? Oh my gosh, every day I like have a new favorite. Okay, they're all so good. I can't choose just one. I have like a top like 15 I think

Bryan Murphy 11:15

you like your medicine too.

Amy Eldreth 11:17

Yeah. Oh, that is Yeah.

Bryan Murphy 11:20

Now where did where does the hot sauces come from?

Amy Eldreth 11:24

So the hot sauce is actually stemmed from Crystal's husband, his name is Dylan and we affectionately refer to him as the pepper pimp. Because he is all about, you know, local, like chili peppers, fermenting the hot you know, Hawaiian chili peppers too. And he is pretty amazing. And he comes up with all those recipes and stuff. So yeah, that's, that's where the hot sauces stem from. Okay, okay. And that's something that you can actually get on line.

Unknown Speaker 11:53

Yeah, I guess. Okay. Yeah,

Amy Eldreth 11:55

it's like one of the only things that we ship just because all of our juice has to To be cold, and it only has a short shelf life. So yeah, the hot spot is one of those things where no matter where you are, you can always get it. Awesome. Okay.

Bryan Murphy 12:09

What is the future of company look like?

Amy Eldreth 12:13

You know? That's a great question. I think that as far as expanding, I think that we're kind of, you know, we don't want to go off Island or anything, just because we would have to start whole new relationships with other farmers and basically be starting from ground zero on the different islands. So I think we're not going to expand anymore, but we're looking at more like grab and go foods and take home salads. And I mean, we already did a little bit of that, but I think we're going to start like revamping it a little bit more and definitely working with probably more like Hawaiian, like, medicinal plants and things that are native to Hawaii, which is really awesome, too. Yeah. It's hard to find, but I think we've got some things in the works for that. So I think it's gonna be awesome.

Bryan Murphy 13:02

Awesome. Are you guys still at farmers markets and still doing that? Are you more to storefront?

Amy Eldreth 13:08

No, we're more of a storefront at this point. I mean, we will go out into the community and sometimes we'll like do juice tastings places, but at this point where pretty much just the three stores and then I mean our kombucha you can find in pretty much every grocery store a little mom and pop shop, like all over the island. So that's pretty cool.

Bryan Murphy 13:28

Yeah. I'm curious. Cuz so you move just kind of going back a little bit, you know, to the islands five years ago. Yep. So you've seen you've seen other people move to the islands, you see some people move away? What are some? Because some of the questions I get are, like, why would you move away from Hawaii? Like, what? What, what have you seen?

Amy Eldreth 13:48

Um, I mean, Hawaii is such a beautiful place to be. And I think everyone who lives here for all super lucky, but boys super expensive and I think that Sometimes people move here and they think that it's going to be just an extended vacation and they get to be on the beach and do waterfall hikes. And you know where that is our reality, we also have to work really hard to be here. And I know a lot of people who have to work multiple jobs in order to pay their rent and pay for the cost of gas and groceries and yeah, so I think that is, that's definitely it's expensive to live here. And I think that's a main reason that people will leave after, you know, third time.

Bryan Murphy 14:34

I think things start becoming more, you start identifying what's most important to you. Yeah, right. I know, art of tidying up. Yeah. Uh huh. But there's just that whole movement, right? Yeah. You know, applying that to so many aspects of your life and you kind of like, Okay, what really matters? Yeah, I want to live this lifestyle. So that means you know, this is going to be some things that I just I need to shed and not give so much value to. Right. Was that the case for you? Did you have to kind of re identify or reprioritize your your priorities and values or to make living inquiry work?

Amy Eldreth 15:17

I see. For sure. It's definitely like a shock at first. But, you know, I think that you do whatever you can to make it work. If that's something that's truly passionate, you know, you're truly passionate about something. So.

Bryan Murphy 15:31

Yeah, going back those five years coming to Hawaii. Was that your first time coming to Hawaii? Yep.

Amy Eldreth 15:41

Well, so I originally came in 2013. Oh, wait, was that five? Yeah. Yeah, that was the first time that I came to Hawaii. And then that was when I like traveled a little bit and that's

Bryan Murphy 15:56

okay. Thinking about where you're at today. What are some things Do you wish you would have known then thinking about someone who's coming to the islands for the first time?

Amy Eldreth 16:06

What do I wish I would have known? Like, what? In what sense?

Bryan Murphy 16:11

Okay. So if someone's coming to Hawaii, for example, for a visit, to help better equip them the mindset to be able to experience qy what are some things you wish you would have known? Like, it could be as simple as like, hey, make sure you drive like the speed limit or under, you know, thinking about mainland suggested, you know, Yeah, something like that. I'm just I'm trying to put myself in the position of someone, say, a family who is coming to Hawaii. And they're, they're vacationing for two weeks, like how would you kind of help equip them to get the most out of their experience,

Amy Eldreth 16:51

just to do research before you come to me and I think that when you're when you first come to Hawaii, you might have this idea of what Do you think Hawaii really is? But I think that I think what we envision Hawaii is not actually what it is. Here is Does that make sense? It's like, I think that we all have this vision that we're all like on beaches like drinking like Margarita all day long or something when I mean, the culture of Hawaii and Hawaii in general. I mean, now we're all about like the playback and like surf lights, and, but there's also like, a really hard work ethic here too. And, yeah, just to be respectful of the people who live here and the people who you interact with.

Bryan Murphy 17:39

Right? What does aloha mean to you?

Amy Eldreth 17:45

to me means like the spirit of just love and respect to everyone. I think it means like, hello and goodbye, but it's also like the breath of life to

Bryan Murphy 17:59

what Boy, what are some places that you like to visit like? Or go to? What are some of your, your favorite spots?

Amy Eldreth 18:08

Um, I always love going up into a state park. So basically where Waimea Canyon is and if you keep driving, there's like these beautiful valleys and hikes that you can go to. It's basically like a different world. It's like several thousand feet up in the like, takes you to this whole other side Island. Really beautiful. So that's definitely one of my favorite places for sure. And then just being at the beach, so feeling the waters are so beautiful, very, can be very treacherous at times, but you know, just being in the water.

Unknown Speaker 18:45

What's your favorite beach? Well, you

Amy Eldreth 18:46

can't access it right now, but probably tunnels

ever since the flooding. It's like you can't go past on the lays so but it's so beautiful, just like insert out there. You can you know, start And see all these different like marine animals and it's so beautiful like the backdrop to

Bryan Murphy 19:06

modern. Cool. Hey, Amy, if people want to know more about quiet juice company, how can they find you guys?

Amy Eldreth 19:15

So we're definitely on Instagram quite jusco We're also on Facebook and then

online. Why'd you

come visit any of our three locations? Oh,

Bryan Murphy 19:31

so good. Okay. Well hey, thank you so much for your time and look forward to seeing more about what's happening and the juice company and and your guys's future. Just want to say thank you so much for your time today.

Amy Eldreth 19:46

Thank you so much for having me on. I really appreciate that.

Bryan Murphy 19:49

I think what I loved most about my conversation with Amy is that she hit it on the head with that, even though Hawaii has some of the most beautiful beaches and most beautiful scenery. People in Hawaii, who live in Hawaii who work in Hawaii are some of the most hardworking individuals that I know. And Amy is no exception to that. And I think that came across in our conversation. Yeah, even though she was headed up to the North Shore during our conversation, which is pretty rad, I think is a great indicator that those who live and work in Hawaii definitely exude the work hard play hard mentality. And to build something like Hawaii juice company is pretty amazing. What I love most about Hawaii juice CO is that they're all about sourcing locally with farmers, and how they started in this kind of grassroots movement. And the more we talk with people from the islands and the businesses, the more that's kind of the story is it's all about utilizing the land to its fullness and when you're 2500 miles away from the nearest landmass. You're isolated in the middle of the ocean, you kind of have to get creative and quiet. jusco has done an amazing job at that. So if you're planning a trip to Hawaii, you're definitely going to want to check out one of their three locations on Island. It's some of the best juice that I think you'll ever have. Well this wraps up today's episode of Hawaii's Best again, thank you so much for listening today. Hit subscribe, leave a comment below. Let us know what you think about the show. And I'm also looking for other businesses influencers and topics to talk about on this podcast. So go check us out at Hawaii's dot bass on Instagram. Send us a DM or shoot us an email and I love to hear from you on some topics that we can cover here on Hawaii's Best. Well until next time be well take care.

Unknown Speaker 21:53

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