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Cocobeet is a MUST-VISIT Organic Juice Bar in Boston

As a result of living in NYC but having grown up in Boston, I am quite aware of the difference between the two cities, in terms of the organic food and pressed juice offerings.

NYC has a ton and Boston has very little.

But with the recent opening of Cocobeet, ironically located between a Subway and Dunkin’ Donuts, it is an understatement to say that Bostonians are thrilled to have them there.

“On our second day of business, we sold 270 bottles of juice and had to close our doors because there was nothing left to sell,” Co-Founder Onur Ozkoc told me.

Just a short walk from Faneuil Hall in downtown Boston, Cocobeet offers a wide array of pressed organic juice, green blends, and raw food. They offer juice cleanses as well.

PRESSED ORGANIC JUICE AND SMOOTHIES

Out of all of the juices that I tried, my three favorites were:

Bright Lights – Swiss chard, cucumber, mint, E3 Live

Green Genes – Kale, spinach, cucumber, celery, apple, parsley, lemon, ginger

Forbidden Juice – Grapefruit, pineapple, lemon, ginger, cayenne, turmeric

Without question, my favorite smoothie was the Blue Coconut.

It was made with blueberries, almond butter, almonds, filtered water, coconut oil, chia seeds, and dates. The drink had fantastic texture and had the perfect amount of sweetness.

All of the food – sandwiches, salads, and desserts – was excellent, but what stood out to me were two things: the chia seed pudding and the quinoa burgers.

I’ve eaten a lot of chia seed puddings over the years, but Cocobeet’s may be the best of them all.

What made it so special was not just the vanilla but the berry sauce (raspberries, strawberries, and blueberries) at the top. A beautiful touch.

I also loved the Quinoa Burgers (below) on a bed of greens. It was inventive, fresh, and light.

With Cocobeet having garnered such strong reviews from consumers in Boston, how and when the company will grow its brand is a constant topic of discussion.

According to Co-Founder Kyle Rusconi, “we have plans to expand across Boston and throughout the suburbs. We’ve also been approached about franchising the concept in other states. For the very immediate future, however, we are focusing on fine-tuning our systems and processes before branching out to the Boston area.”

The fact that Cocobeet has received such interest from potential investors and partners comes as no surprise at all to me.

Cocobeet is nailing it on all fronts. The store was incredibly clean, the staff was friendly and helpful, the juice recipes were innovative and great tasting, and the food was fresh and delicious.

And it is has a captive market that is desperate for healthy organic food and pressed juice options.

If you haven’t noticed by now, I am a huge fan of Cocobeet and will definitely be going back there on my next trip to Boston.

A message from Tradin Organic

Why Tradin Organic is Prioritizing Regenerative Organic Farming

At Tradin Organic, we believe that regenerative organic farming is key to growing healthy and nutritious food ingredients — for now and for future generations.

And in Sierra Leone, we have grown the world’s first Regenerative Organic Certified cacao.

Learn more.

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Living Maxwell

Company Stories

Why Sheryl O’Loughlin’s Killing It is Such an Important Read for Organic Food Entrepreneurs

Serial entrepreneur Sheryl O’Loughlin has just come out with a phenomenal new book called Killing It: An Entrepreneur’s Guide to Keeping Your Head Without Losing Your Heart, and it should be at the top of the reading list for all founders of organic food companies, regardless of whether you’re in start-up mode or well on your way to generating $100 million in revenues.

Aside from the fact that Sheryl O’Loughlin has some serious street cred in the organic food industry – CEO of Clif Bar, Co-Founder of Plum Organics and now CEO of REBBL – and has plenty of experience to draw upon as an entrepreneur, this book focuses on the most important aspect of building a company that rarely gets discussed – the human element.

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A message from Tradin Organic

How Tradin Organic is Helping Coconut Farmers in The Philippines

For more than a decade, Tradin Organic has been working with local partners in The Philippines to bring a diversified range of organic products to the market, such as coconut oil, tropical fruits and even cocoa.

The company is helping to support local farmers by assisting them with technical support and organic certification, in addition to paying Fairtrade premium on top of the organic premium.

Learn more.

Living Maxwell

Company Stories

How Sustainable Bananas are Produced at EARTH University in Costa Rica

When I was at EARTH University in Costa Rica, I got a chance to learn everything about sustainable banana production – from how they are grown in the fields to how they are shipped to the U.S.

In this video, I’ll take you onto the banana plantation of EARTH University and show you the issues that they have to deal with when growing bananas in such humid conditions.

What’s important to note is that it took EARTH University many, many years for its sustainable bananas to reach profitability and the school was told by consultants that the program wasn´t going to work.

EARTH University’s president refused to give up because he knew that this was the right way to do business – for the environment, for the farm workers, for consumers – even though his bananas were more expensive than conventionally-grown ones.

Whole Foods recognized the importance of what EARTH University was doing and the values that it stood for, and decided to distribute the school’s bananas throughout the U.S. Not only has this partnership been critical for the long-viability of EARTH University’s banana program, but the strong demand for the school’s bananas has proven that sustainability is good business.

Without question, EARTH University’s bananas are the best that I have ever eaten. If you have the chance to buy them, definitely do so.

You’ll be eating a fantastic product and also be supporting an incredibly important endeavor for sustainability.

Also, being such a huge fan of bananas, I can’t tell you how interesting this day was for me. Enjoy!

Organic Insider

Company Stories

Why Sun+Earth and Brother David’s are So Vital for Organic Stakeholders and Our Planet

David Bronner, the Cosmic Engagement Officer (CEO) of Dr. Bronner’s, saw this coming years ago.

With California having legalized cannabis in 2016, he knew that this plant was headed down the path of other agricultural crops — mass industrialization, genetic engineering, enormous energy consumption through fossil fuels, and the displacement of small-scale family farmers.

Where cannabis differs from other agricultural commodities, however, is that there can be no such thing as “organic cannabis” until the federal government stops classifying it as an illegal drug.

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livingmaxwell: a guide to organic food & drink