For many, stuck-at-home pandemic food has consisted of delivery, microwaveable meals, and easy recipes. With a heavier reliance on delivery services now more than ever, consumers are looking for fresh “superfood” — something they aren’t willing to compromise simply because they can’t physically go to their favorite superfood restaurants.
We see this with the continuation of farmer’s markets. Despite the closure of all non-essential businesses and the “six feet apart” mandate, farmer’s markets attempted to hold strong alongside essential grocery stores, offering natural and organic options to nearby consumers. For New Yorkers, the best type of superfood is the type that can be consumed in beverage food: cold-pressed juice.
Pure Green
Pure Green, a cold pressed juice and smoothie company, began with a few brick and mortar stores in New York City, featuring menu items of cold pressed juices, cold pressed juice shots, smoothies, and acai and pitaya bowls, each packed with superfood ingredients sourced from around the world such as grass-fed whey protein, spirulina, chia seeds, ginger, coconut, raw cacao, cayenne pepper, turmeric, and more. The smoothies and acai and pitaya bowls are handcrafted and made to order. Pure Green franchises have since rippled through the city, seeing explosive growth, and the company has yet to see substantial slow downs in purchases and orders despite the pandemic. Their storefronts in New York City remain open even amidst the citywide shutdown.
But, just because a number of stores have stayed open during the shutdown doesn’t mean they have all done well. In business as usual, the New York City restaurant scene rakes in a staggering $50 billion every year. In the wake of a recession and a rising unemployment rate, people simply can’t afford to eat out – er, in this case, order in from restaurants – as they normally would. So, when they make orders, it has to be for something that’s worth the cost – something they can’t make on their own. As we know, consumers make purchasing decisions based on their need to solve a problem, and in the face of a health crisis, one problem is tending to their health.
Pure Green was founded by Ross Franklin, who was originally running a consulting business within high-end health clubs when he stumbled across a realization: nutrition counts for 80% of optimal wellness.
Working out and mental health counts, too. But 80%? That’s quite the lion share. So, he converted his passion for building healthy communities from high-end health clubs to cold pressed juices. With gyms closed city-wide and outdoor parks increasing strict rules regarding social distancing, New Yorkers have to opt for wellness somehow, too, without their usual devices and stuck within small apartments.
National Focus on Health
This uptick in sales of cold-pressed juices echoes a trend that is sweeping the nation: a higher fixation on health and wellness. After all, this is a pandemic. Consumers care more than ever about boosting their immune systems and giving their bodies all the nutrients they need to battle off any type of virus. Of course, wellness is about feeling good, too, and while stuck at home with limited exposure to typically energizing devices of social gatherings, sunshine, or buzzing coffee shops, American consumers also have to lean on ways to feel good within their own houses and apartments.
With this trend, there’s also been a spike in dietary supplement sales. IRI, which tracks supplement sales in drugstores, grocery stores, and convenience stores, reported that vitamin and mineral supplements are currently posed to outperform the last recession: unprecedented growth. Simply put, people care more than ever about maintaining and boosting their health – both personally, and for their families. This is sparking new behaviors and health choices that are causing ripples through the dietary supplement market.
In addition to dietary supplements, cold-pressed juices and smoothies made with superfoods give the body the boost it needs, which can replace dietary supplements. Superfoods such as kale, turmeric, cayenne pepper, coconut water, and more optimize the body’s immune system, digestive processes, and overall energy levels. It’s quite possible that the cold-pressed juice fad that already swept New York, resulting in cold-pressed juiceries on nearly every block, will see a resurrection, simply due to market need. The focus on health arising from the dangers of the Coronavirus pandemic is poised to forever change the behavior of the modern consumer, now that we’re face-to-face with the realization that health is, and has always been, of the utmost importance.
