Whether you are going into the fruit juices business for the first time, you are a vegetable juice manufacturer or a fruit juice manufacturer, you are planning to use a fruit or vegetable juice for your next big product, having the right juice education and training is necessary not only for your well being but for that of your consumer.

When consumers order juice, you want to make sure that they have the freshest product available. You want to make sure that it has not been exposed to anything that would contaminate it, and you want to make sure that it is handled appropriately once it is in your place of business.

To find out more about juice education and training:

1. Consider training and education resources for harvesting and processing juice safely.

2. Find out how to comply with Juice Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) regulations set forth by the FDA.

3. Take advantage of training opportunities in Juice HACCP.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Learn about juice harvesting, processing and safety precautions

Before you jump into the juice business, find out about the harvesting and processing basics of your fruit or vegetable of choice for your particular juice or juices. Information on juices harvesting and processing will help you learn the ins and outs of the depth of work the goes into processing juices.

I recommend: The leader in education for the orange juice industry is the University of Florida Citrus Research and Education Center -- they invented frozen orange juice concentrate. Find out about apple harvesting and processing from the Apple Products Research & Education Council. They also offer nutritional information, the latest apple news, related sites, recipes and more. Find out from the Centers of Disease Control about the risks of drinking unpasteurized or untreated juice. Pasteurized juice means that it is heated to a temperature high enough to kill the germs in it.

Train in the safe handling of juice

The FDA uses the principals of Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) to regulate juice handling by juice processors.

I recommend: NCFST lists education and training resources for Juice HACCP training. Get Juice HACCP Regulator training from the FDA.

Attend training events for your vegetable or fruit juice business

Find helpful conferences, workshops, online training, seminars and webinars that educate and train juice processors.

I recommend: Penn State provides training PowerPoint presentations based on Juice HACCP workshops. The International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA) offers webinars, conferences and workshops dealing with the handling of juice and dairy products.

Opening a juice business gives you great potential for profits, as people become more health conscious. This natural, healthy, whole-food beverage has huge appeal for people that are leery of foods filled with unhealthy and unnatural additives and preservatives.

Most successful juice businesses offer a wide variety of the freshest fruit and vegetable juices to their customers. Some sell juice purchased from a vegetable juice manufacturer or fruit juice manufacturer and some squeeze fruits and vegetables on-site with commercial juicers. Many successful juice businesses do both.

In addition, they offer an assortment of vitamin and herbal supplements that are mixed in with juices at the customer's request. These supplements give added health benefits to the already healthy juices.

Enter into the juicing business and consider several options. Open an independently owned business for juices or buy into a franchise for juices. Purchasing a franchise requires a greater investment, but enables you to learn the juice business from the ground up. Whichever you choose, keep the following things in mind:

1. Choose the juice business that is right for you.

2. Offer a wide variety of healthy fruit and vegetable juices to your customers.

3. Acquire the best juicing equipment available.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Find the juice business that suits your needs

Buy into a franchise if you are inexperienced in the juice business and want to learn and gain experience as you grow your business, or run an independently owned operation if you already know the industry.

I recommend: Locate a franchise to purchase at Franchise Gator and Franchise Opportunities LLC. Find an independently owned juice business to purchase at Business Nation and Restaurants for Sale.us.

Stock your juice business with the products your customers want

Include a wide variety of fruit and vegetable juices as well as fresh fruits and vegetables you can juice on site. Fill your coolers with fresh produce such as apples, oranges, grapefruits, bananas, carrots, celery, spinach, wheat grass and an assortment of melons.

I recommend: Order juice from a distributor such as those represented by Dennick Fruit Source and find distributors of fresh produce at Hoover's Inc.

Make the fresh fruit and vegetable juice that your customers prefer

Find the proper equipment for your juice business. Commercial juicers are designed to produce numerous gallons of fresh juice each day. Buy the commercial juicing equipment that suits your shop's needs.

I recommend: Compare prices and options on commercial juicers and other equipment at GulfCoast Juicers and CostplusJuicers.com.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Consider your customers when you choose the location for your juice business. Fresh juices are most popular with health conscious, young adults. Open your juice business near places they frequent, such as health clubs, gyms, universities, airports and hotels.

There is more to juice than just buying it off the shelf. Juice is served in many different ways — from an ingredient in a smoothie, to out of a box. The nutritional values differ depending on whether the juice has been pasteurized or if it contains pulp. Juice labels indicate whether or not the juice is from concentrate. Learn how to select the right juice for your own needs by familiarizing yourself with key terms.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Organic juice

Organic juice is made only with fruits and vegetables that were grown to specific organic standards. Although the use of some fertilizers and pesticides is allowed on organic crops, the use is dramatically less than that for traditional crops.

I recommend: Organic Trade Association explains why organic is the way to go.

Natural juice

Natural juices are free from preservatives and processing that can cut down on the nutritional content. Natural juices are also sweetened only by the raw fruits and vegetables themselves rather than with added sugar.

I recommend: The Living and Raw Foods Marketplace explains the differences between processed and natural juices. It also outlines the benefits of drinking natural juices.

Not-from-concentrate, from-concentrate

Not-from-concentrate means that the water has never been extracted from the juice prior to being packaged. From-concentrate means that the water was extracted from the juice to be added again later.

I recommend: Florida's Natural provides a visual diagram to show the difference between not-from-concentrate and from-concentrate.

Phytochemicals

Although phytochemicals are not a crucial part of your nutritional diet, they can provide you with an increased protection against illness and disease. Phytochemicals can be found in all fruits and vegetables, as well as grains, beans and herbs. In fact, most foods contain some amount of phytochemicals.

I recommend: Phytochemicals explains what phytochemicals are and how they work.

Pulp

Pulp refers to the pieces of raw fruit or vegetables that can be found in juices made from citrus fruits. Juices such as orange juice are more commonly known for containing pulp, but many unprocessed juices may also contain pieces of pulp.

I recommend: Bio-Medicine outlines how pulp can provide an additional nutritional benefit.

Pasteurization

Most juices are pasteurized due to food safety concerns. When juice is pasteurized, it is heated to a safe temperature that kills off bacteria that could be potentially harmful if consumed.

I recommend: The Boulder County Government explains why the pasteurization process is so important to our health.

Getting started in the juice business requires research and information on juice supplies and equipment. In the juice business, you must decide which types to make and sell, whether it is vegetable juice, fruit juice or organic juice. Also, finding space is another consideration when starting a juice business, whether at home or in a storefront. Then, in addition to buying or growing the freshest fruit, it’s important to connect with a juice manufacturer to order juice ingredients such as concentrates and purees.

Deciding on the different types of juices and equipment is necessary in order to get your business going. Some common juice supplies and equipment include presses to squeeze the natural fruit juice, pasteurizers to help produce a safe product, and extractors for vegetable and fruit juice processing.

1. Find juice info and get ideas on setting up a juicing business from other manufacturers or publications.

2. Pick juice supplies and equipment to make large quantities of fruit juice and vegetable juice.

3. Work with a fruit or a vegetable juice manufacturer that provides services such as equipment customization.

4. Consider extras in addition to juice equipment and supplies, such as smoothie machines, to add to your growing business.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Study the latest trends revolving around the juicing business

Learn the basics of juices, juice supplies and equipment, as well as any news, trends and equipment innovations.

I recommend: Entrepreneur.com presents some ideas for opening a juice bar. Companies such as Natural Brands features juice information, myths and facts. Find different types of juicing equipment and features at Harvest Essentials. Additionally, the company produces buying guides of single-gear, twin-gear, wheat grass and centrifugal juicers.

Select juice supplies and equipment based on your product needs

Find juice business manufacturers that specialize in vegetable juice and fruit juice supplies and equipment.

I recommend: Goodnature provides juice presses, pasteurizers and other equipment to its clients. Zesco offers juice equipment and supplies such as dispensers. Suppliers such as Yankee Wire Cloth Products manufactures vegetable and fruit juice filters and strainers made of metal and wire mesh.

Find juice equipment manufacturers that offer custom services

Connect with juice equipment and supplies manufacturers that offer special services or applications such as processing, custom designs and even training on juice equipment and supplies.

I recommend: Avure Technologies offers services such as high-pressure juice and beverage processing. Meyer Industries features steam and waterfall-style fruit and vegetable juice pasteurizers for industrial use. The company also offers on-site and classroom training.

Add juice accessories and extras to increase your bottom line

Boost your juice business by including auxiliary juice equipment such as filler systems, blenders and smoothie makers.

I recommend: Blenders, smoothie makers and additional juice information can be found at the Canning Pantry website. Accessories for juice equipment and supplies are also available at American Nutrition.