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.