The inspiration for RAW Pressery, India’s largest cold-pressed juice brand, came from the search for answersto few simple questions -Which beverage brand can be really trusted for all their health claims and why does being healthy have to be so complicated?
RAW Pressery is a cold-pressed juice brand that is India’s first and largest clean label F&B. The brand that aims to transform the way people eat and drink. Their offerings are 100% natural, made with locally sourced farm fresh ingredients and are free of additives like sugar, preservatives, chemicals, colors or flavours. Currently, they have 27 cold pressured flavours, which include juices, smoothies, boosters, soups, nut-milks and coconut water.
The Athlete with the Spirit of an Entrepreneur
Anuj Rakyan, Founder and MD, has spent the past decade building operations and helping brands in the diamond jewelry industry. He has worked with well-known names like Gitanjali Gems and Nirav Modi Jewels.
He began his career as an investment banker at Morgan Stanley and then moved to the world of brand consulting at FutureBrand, New York. He completed his graduation from Duke University, North Carolina.
Anuj conceptualized the idea of RAW Pressery while he was nursing an injury after a game of football. He started discovering new recipes on his Norwalk presser, using leafy vegetables and fruits, the common source of proteins for vegetarians. When he discovered that nutrition from fresh fruit and vegetables can be absorbed directly by the bloodstreamin the form of juice, he quickly jumped into the fresh juice market.
From Mother’s Kitchen to 1100 points-of-sale
Anuj is grateful that he conducted all his initial experiments in his mother’s kitchen. With the aim to address the lack of an honestly healthy beverage in the market, Anuj bridged the gap between taste and health with innovations in the fresh juice market. Anuj and his passionate workforce at RAW, have overcome all the initial hiccups by generating consumer awareness and by managing cold-chain supply and in-house logistics to compensate for the lack of sustainable cold chain infrastructure in the newly established landscape.
Established in 2013, RAW Pressery is incorporated as a part of Rakyan Beverages Pvt. Ltd. in Mumbai and is a vertically integrated company with in-house capabilities in farm produce procurement, processing, manufacturing, cold-chain logistics, warehousing and distribution. They are currently the leading cold-press juice brand available across 10 cities in over 1100 points-of-sale.
The Beverage that offers more nutrition
RAW Pressery is India’s first company to organize the fresh juice market through the use of innovative cold-press technology and high-pressure pascalization. The juices have no water, no added sugar, no preservatives, no concentrates, no flavours, no additives, but only fruit/ vegetable, which can last for 21 days in a sealed bottle.
Anuj successfully replaced the conventional nutrition degrading pasteurization method of mass producing juices with the cold pressed process to extract the juices,which has helped in ensuring great nutrition, freshness, flavour and natural taste without adding chemicals, preservatives, sugar or water.
Preparations for future dynamics
Right from the $1.8 million funding from Sequoia India and the second round of $4.5 million funding done equally by Sequoia India, Saama Capital and DSG Consumer Partners to the recent investment of $500,000 by Bollywood actress Jacqueline Fernandes, RAW Pressery has always utilized these funds for optimizing the operations as well as amplifying the awareness through targeted marketing activities.
RAW Pressery plans to extend into the food category with fresh dips, vegetable chips and ready to drink fresh cold pressed soups. They also plan to introduce freshly pressed baby food, free of any additives, preservatives or chemicals. Anuj plans to further establish micro cold presseries across their laid out geographies, each equipped with the best of produce and technology to give their consumers a truly phygital experience with online and offline integration. Consumers would be able to place an order digitally and see their beverage of choice being made, in real time.
Awards and Recognitions
Anuj and his team at RAW Pressery have built a culture through products and services that brings the customer closer to nature. In their endeavors to source the freshest local and imported ingredients from farmers and partners, building communities and nurturing relationships with their stake holders, they have won many awards such as-
Entrepreneur of the Year – Service Business – Beverages (Entrepreneur India)
Entrepreneur of the Year- Consumer Business (Entrepreneur India)
Most Innovative Packaged Beverage of the Year 16-17 at the Indian Restaurant Awards (Restaurant India)
Coca Cola Golden Spoon Award for Most Admired Brand- Retail Partnership of the year 2016-17 (Images Retail)
IAA Olive Crown (Silver) for excellence in communicating sustainability in events for RAWcycle
Sutra HR – 100 best startups to look out for in 2017
Basking in all the glory, Anuj and his team at RAW Pressery continue to fulfill consumer demand by utilizing superior quality produce & production and innovations in their supply chain & delivery. They continue to pack each nuance and emotion into their products to create a brand that their consumer can connect with.
RAW Pressery:Cold-Pressed Juice & Nothing Else.
