Although cold temperatures often are a challenge for citrus crops, the practice of cold-pressing juices is helping Natalie’s Orchid Island Juice Co. continue to bring fresh, functional juices to market. Earlier this year, the Fort Pierce, Fla.-based company expanded its portfolio with the launch of its Holistic Juices, a line of cold-pressed juices that deliver fresh tastes plus health and wellness benefits.
“Many of our customers have asked us for high-pressure processing (HPP) — also known as cold-pressed — juices, and [HPP] is a process that appeals to a large segment of the juice-drinking market,” explains Natalie Sexton, the company’s namesake and vice president of marketing. She adds that both the company’s gourmet pasteurization process and its new cold-pressed method allow the beverage-maker to neutralize harmful bacteria and meet U.S. Food and Drug Administration food safety standards without using high-heat pasteurization or preservatives, which she says can adversely affect the quality and taste of the juices.