First 'socially driven' juicery a boost for Belfast

The UK's first 'socially driven' juicery has been established in Belfast in an initiative to help people in need.

Mango Street has developed a six-strong range of cold-pressed juices and plans to channel profits back into the regeneration of Sandy Row, one of the city's rundown areas with high unemployment and poverty.

The small artisan business is the brainchild of Colin Mackey, a graphic designer by profession and community activist. He has turned a long time interest in fruit and vegetable juicing into an artisan business with a difference.

The range features unusual and zesty juice blends such as kale, cucumber, apple and ginger and beetroot, apple, cucumber, mango, orange, apple, lemon and kiwi and ginger lemon and ginger, all of which are produced in 250ml glass bottles. He hopes soon to convert to more convenient plastic bottles.

"I decided to set up the business last November as a social enterprise that's focused on putting something back into the community especially in the Sandy Row area. I guess I am a bit of a socio-eco warrior. I am committed to improving the environment and on helping people in need.

"The juices are all ethically produced and do not contain any preservatives or additives including water whatsoever, just natural juice from fresh fruits and vegetables that I cold-press myself. I know everything that goes into the juices. They offer healthy alternatives and are great especially for detoxing," he says.

In addition to the fresh juices, he's also developed a kale chip product from the cauliflower vegetable in olive oil with salt and pepper.

He started the small business in November 2014 on the back of experience gained juicing fruit and veggies over the past four years. "I gave the juices to friends and relatives who provided positive feedback. This encouraged me to start thinking in terms of setting up the business

"What led me to cold-pressing juice was that it's a technique that's proven to be more nutritious. Traditional juicers, or centrifugal models, use fast-spinning blades to tear produce apart, but the process adds some heat and exposes ingredients to air, two things that cut down on how many nutrients make their way into the bottle. Cold-pressing extracts juice by pressing and grinding fruits and vegetables without adding heat.

"I've focused on dark green veggies and fruits because these are said to be healthier. These are what our bodies need most but are lacking in our diets. Ginger is definitely another focus in my juices. It has huge health benefits such as reducing inflammation in the body, getting the digestive system moving, and even fending off illness," he adds.