Colourful Re.juve juice bars are popping up all over the capital, the introduction of healthy juices, cold pressed without the sugar local market - and customers are wrapped it up. We meet the head of brand development and business Romie Johanes, who was involved with Re.juve the phase of research and development to have opened 14 stores across Jakarta and Tangerang since its launch in 2015.
When the Re.juve was founded and how did the concept?
Re.juve is part of the Gunung Sewu group and was born as a sustainable business associated with planting fresh Gunung Sewu. Gunung Sewu Group owns the plantation, carries a refrigerated logistics operation, so we thought, why not throw a juicer?
We also started Re.juve as an authentic and honest brand juice for our customers. Many juice in Jakarta was questionable in terms of hygiene and quality, and we want to serve Jakarta with 100 percent pure juice and fresh, where we add nothing to the ingredients in addition to freshly squeezed fruit and vegetables. This means that we do not add sugar, water, artificial sweeteners, preservatives and focus our juice.
Romie Johanes, Business and Brand Development Head
Tell us about your role in society.
I'm in charge of expanding Re.juve, store operations, branding and marketing, and ME was assigned to the brand from scratch. My CEO, Richard Anthony, and I conducted extensive research for a year, visiting every single juicer in San Francisco, Los Angeles and New York. We then experienced a development concept, business formats, creating recipes and everything else needed to create a premium juicer.
Tell us about cold pressed juice. What are the health benefits?
juicers cold pressed (the technology we use) do not create oxidation and do not create heat during the juicing process. Because antioxidants, enzymes and nutrients are easily destroyed by heat and oxidation stability, cold pressed juice ensures optimal nutrition in each bottle.
After the craze 'fast food' was seen to take the country, Indonesia seems to enter a food revolution in health. Was it easy to enter the market when you did? What challenges have you encountered?
The 'Indohealthvolution is certainly begin! Re.juve was planned long before started the trend and Gunung Sewu had the vision that the healthcare industry will be sustainable, feasible and promising. It aimed to launch Re.juve as a company that is significant thanks to genuine products that promote health and well-being.
The challenge has been to customers in our stores; customers have the opportunity to spend their money on sugary drinks or other indulgent treats. We need to convince them to spend their money in our stores on healthy options instead. Once they are in our stores, endless education is needed to convince beginners our cold-pressed juices are honest, authentic and value for their money.
We spent endless hours with passion about education on how our products are premium. We did a customer, a community, a day at a time. It was, and still is, a challenge to get new customers to try our products, but it is very satisfying to see new customers quickly turn into regulars.
Re.juve points seem to be located near or directly outside gyms. Can you tell us more about your business strategy?
We have many stores in malls, residential areas, offices and gyms nearby. We really like to be the destination and the preferred brand for customers looking for healthier options. Our goal is to provide "good for you F & B options' and 'comfort'. We aim to provide cold-pressed juices, smoothies and healthy nutritious bites before and after the gym or work during your break in the afternoon, before traveling home and during leisure time.
?What is the vision and mission of Rejuve
I read this morning and I see the passion in my manager when he says that before each meeting: "To promote healthier and happier days through delicious and healthy food and beverage choices. "
I always tell my team that our vision Re.juve is to promote health with passion and happier days for customers and communities. We are not in the food and beverage industry; we are in the healthcare and welfare, driven by passion.
Where do you get your ingredients and how have you had to adapt to the taste of the local market?
We buy our ingredients sellers of fresh local produce that work with local farmers. Some ingredients such as navel oranges and apples are imported. Our premium gold pineapple come from Gunung Sewu plantations and are exclusively available for Re.juve.
We source the finest, grade 1 ingredients and ship back a lot of fresh products that we think is not the first year. We have random laboratory tests of our fresh products to ensure they are free of pesticides and wax, and stick QC audits and regular hygiene in shops to make sure the ingredients are stored and processed correctly. In terms of operational handling fresh fruits and vegetables are certainly much more complicated. - But it's a good thing because it keeps on us very alert and very high operational standards
When we launched Re.juve we invited Lora Krulak, a US juice chief to help us with the recipes. From here, and through a number of information sessions on customers, we have adapted to local tastes. Indonesians still prefer a sweeter juice.
Can you share with us a lesser known fact about Rejuve products?
The classic line is the preferred time for our customers. This best seller line is famous because it consists of more fruit and therefore softer.
Little do customers know that our office team prefers our signature line, because it is more advanced, where the juice is composed of several varieties of fruits, vegetables and spices. The signature line will not use pineapple and is less sweet. I think the more advanced centrifuges would welcome the signature line, but this line is hardly known.
Do you have any plans to further expand in 2016?
We recently operated and launched the first cold pressed juice factory in Asia! It is such a milestone for Re.juve to be the authority of the cold-pressed juice in Indonesia.
The plant has a CNC environment (including temperature 10 Celsius 2 Celsius filtered water, etc.) to ensure that fruit juices are produced in a hygienic environment. It also means more automation machines, the minimum human contact product washing, drying, weighing recipes, juice, bottling and labeling.
In 2016, we plan to open 12 more stores in Greater Jakarta. Many of our clients ask us to open closer to them and we like to hear. We already have many applications open in Bandung and Surabaya.
Many exciting projects in 2016, including our Re.juve reward program, a mobile app, online orders, and much more.
Do Rejuve have come to special events?
If customers wish to organize a juice conversation school or juice, please contact me. We open our doors to everyone who is passionate about juicing or the health and well-being. Let me know and we could have a az about juice in one of our stores.
What aspect of your job that you enjoy the most?
First of all, I love and I enjoy our cold-pressed juices. The more we sell, the more I feel that I am truly and honestly promote the health and welfare of clients. Our cold-pressed juices are also good! I've never been so proud and passionate about a product before.
Second, I love our customers. I met hundreds of them through many events or during store visits. They are passionate about the products Re.juve I am! They share the same value of health and wellness, to have days happier and healthier -. Sound which is always nice
Thank you Romie. To contact, please contact: romie.johanes@rejuve.co.id