Roots Juicery offers health-focused Seychellois pure fruit juices

Roots Juicery focuses on the sale of 100 percent fruit and vegetable juices, smoothies, granola, non-dairy milk, and ice cream made only from frozen fruits. (Sandrine Adeline)

(Seychelles News Agency) - Health-conscious individuals in Seychelles now have a wider range of products they can choose from after Roots Juicery – a company that makes healthy juices and snacks - opened its doors.

The brainchild of Sandrine Adeline, Roots Juicery is the first cold pressed juice bar to establish itself in the country. It focuses on the sale of 100 percent fruit and vegetable juices, smoothies, granola, non-dairy milk, and ice cream made only from frozen fruits.

Adeline got the idea to create Roots Juicery when she and her family struggled to find healthy snacks and juice options in Seychelles, an archipelago in the western Indian Ocean. The outlet is based on the island of Praslin but it delivers to the main island.

She told SNA that "we use a hydraulic press to extract the juice from fruits and vegetables, a process that does not produce heat. This preserves all the enzymes and vitamins found in the fruit or vegetable. You can say that this process truly respects all properties of the fruit and vegetable and we can drink the juice like medicine because they are potent with all the benefits."

The outlet is based on the island of Praslin but it delivers to the main island. (Sandrine Adeline) Photo License: All Rights Reserved

"We specialise in juice cleansing - detoxifying your body by only taking juice intake with no food intake. A person can do this for up to five days and detoxifying the body should not be confused with a diet as the aim is not to lose weight although weight loss is a consequence. The aim is to detoxify the body and give a rest to your guts and organs," she continued.

Adeline chose the name Roots Juicery as roots are representative of island life, going back to nature and the authenticity of Seychelles. The company's philosophy is to provide clients with 100 percent healthy food and drink options, staying away from the use of refined sugar, preservatives, and animal milk in their products.

She shared that the bulk of the ingredients used in the products are source locally, promoting local farmers and the authenticity of island life. The remaining ones are imported as they do not grow in Seychelles.

"We make a point in trying to use every fruit and vegetable that we can find on the island and pushing it to the point that even things that are not commonly used in your everyday cuisine, we are integrating it into our juices because they are superfoods," said Adeline.

A hydraulic press is used to extract the juice from fruits and vegetables. (Sandrine Adeline)  Photo License: All Rights Reserved

She explained that superfoods such as moringa, bitter gourd and Indian Borage (gro bonm) are all used to make elixirs or shots as they are otherwise called. Elixirs come in 60ml bottles, whereas other juices come in 350 ml. Elixirs are small doses of highly concentrated fruits and vegetables, which are taken first thing in the morning on an empty stomach for maximum effect.

Depending on the availability of ingredients, the price of the 350ml juice varies between SCR80 ($5.3) and SCR150 ($10).

"The price goes higher as we have to import some products and it also reflects the fact that everything you get in the bottle is only the fruit and vegetable juice - nothing more," Adeline said.

Due to the fact that no preservatives are added to the juice, the products are highly perishable with a lifespan of between three to five days. This is why the juices are sold only at the juice bar on Praslin and online. Residents on Mahe, the main island, can collect their orders, shipped to the main island a day after the purchase is made at Foodies located on Eden Island. No stock will be kept at Foodies.