Look Out, Pomegranate! Meet the Newest Fruit on the Block

Daniel Yeow / Columbia Daily Spectator

As the daughter of a Southern California citrus farmer, I pride myself on being fairly knowledgeable about fruit. The mangosteen came out of left field.

With a hard purple exterior and a fleshy-white pulp, the mangosteen is a tropical “superfruit,” loaded with antioxidants and nutrients, as well as a tangy, sweet flavor.
A very delicate plant, the mangosteen can only be grown in the warmest of climates, and is generally found in Southeast Asia and Australia.

Banned from the U.S. for years due to a fear of Asian fruit flies, those who knew of the power of mangosteens had to rely on limited supplies in Chinatowns, or fruit smuggled in from Canada.

The ban was lifted in June of 2007, but the fruit has not yet taken off like the pomegranate or açai—but there are four distinct places in Manhattan to get the coveted fruit: Juice Generation.

Juice Generation—with three current locations around the city, including one on Broadway at 105th, and a new location set to open this month on 4th Street between 6th and 7th avenues in the West Village—offers fresh food, smoothies featuring the most exotic fruits on the market, and service with a smile.

As soon as the ban on mangosteens was lifted, owner Eric Helms saw an opportunity to do something new and different. “It was kind of on my radar as a juice,” he said. He organized a deal with a farm in Thailand to ship frozen mangosteens to him directly.
Not only is the process directly controlled, but the frozen mangosteens ensure that there is enough supply to last year-round, rather than only through the growing season. Juice Generation was the first importer of mangosteens once the ban was lifted.

Since introducing it, the mangosteen’s popularity has taken off. “A lot of people come in anxious to try it,” Helms said.

Such innovation is what Juice Generation has stood for since opening the first branch in 1999—and the reason that it is not only competing with larger smoothie operations, but is expanding. “We appeal to a different demographic of people,” Helms said.
From the onset, Helms was interested in running a very clean operation—literally. Juice Generation won one of the first “Golden Apple Awards” in 2005 from the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, which recognize the 10 safest and most hygienic restaurants in the city.

Juice Generation is also very focused on the customer, and staying on top of the latest health crazes. Its most popular smoothies feature mangosteens, açai, and pomegranates, all fruits that were virtually unknown a few years ago, and now have a cult-like following. But because they are rare, they are also fairly expensive. Açai is put into smoothies from small packs of pulp—and about two-dollars worth goes into every $5 açai smoothie that gets blended.

To balance the costs of importing tropical fruits from the corners of the earth, some other luxuries must be foregone. Juice Generation is not 100 percent organic, but it doesn’t claim to be. “We don’t advertise the place as 100 percent organic,” Helms said. “For some things, especially things like oranges that have a peel, it is not as important.”

What is important is customer satisfaction. Juice Generation uses 100 percent agave nectar to sweeten its drinks rather than honey or sugar, simply because of recommendations by vegan customers. Because of this simple change, Juice Generation’s smoothies are now sugar-free, vegan-friendly, and suitable for consumption by diabetics.

Every five-to-six months, Juice Generation changes its menu. This month, it’s out with winter’s soup-heavy menu and in with new cold soups and sandwiches. Old-time favorites such as Cranny Smith Tuna (with cranberries) and turkey and apple aren’t going anywhere, though.

But because of the new store opening in the West Village, the new menu leans towards more vegetarian-friendly options. A sprout salad and a carrot ginger tofu cold soup are both going to be appearing in the refrigerator case daily.
The new store will feature a design by Hiro Tsuruta and Swee Phuah, the design duo behind Momofuku and Bar Q, but Helms isn’t relying on aesthetics to bring in the customers.

“The design of the store is important, but what really sells is the product, the fruit,” he said, pointing to the array of fresh apples and oranges that decorated the 72nd Street store. “All of that produce is done fresh everyday.”

Fresh everyday in Manhattan, with 10-15 deliveries coming into the store from both local and exotic farmers, is what keeps Juice Generation juiced and customers coming back for more.