Food doesn’t have to start out pretty in order to taste delicious…sometimes it’s transformed.

That’s the idea behind Pressed, a sustainably-minded juice company seeking out sensation in what may have otherwise been left behind. 

The national F&B brand gathers blemished produce and other products that didn’t make it to store fronts, and uses them as materials for a nutritious line of juices, smoothies, and plant-based softserve. Pressed works directly within their supply chain to source non-grocery grade produce from local farmers, measuring and evaluating their carbon footprint each year and looking at ways to reduce it while keeping products affordable.

“A pillar of the brand is accessibility,” Malcolm Au, sustainability strategist at Pressed tells Replate. “We source locally to keep shipping costs down as much as possible.”

Long-lasting partnerships with California’ Central Valley farmers and suppliers have enabled the company to source as locally as possible, and manufacture their products all within one region of the state. This also ensures overall freshness of products.

Pressed utilizes 100% recycled polyethylene terephthalate (or rPET) bottles, made with less energy than typical plastic, which limits fossil fuel consumption, greenhouse gas emissions, water use, and hazardous waste. To date, Pressed has converted their 2oz shot bottles to 100% rPET plastic, and their 15oz juice bottles to 25% rPET, with hopes of expanding to a higher percentage in the near future.

In the process, Pressed is projected to save over 300,000 pounds of plastic annually.

“​Switching over to rPET was a big move that pushes us in the right direction, and we are constantly exploring alternative packaging options,” Au comments.

With over 100 stores nationwide, Pressed aims to prioritize sustainability as the company continues to expand. 

Notes Au, “Reducing waste is something that is near and dear to my heart.”

For more information on Pressed, visit their site.

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