At Green Habito I am welcomed by its soothing décor and the juicery’s two enthusiastic owners, Sujith K J and Aswadev S S. Sticky notes displayed on a white board indicate that there are quite a good number of fans for juice and smoothies served at this joint, located along the service road opposite Technopark.
Sujith and Aswadev, college mates-cum-mechanical engineers, opened Green Habito in May this year. Sujith, an employee with IBS for the last five years, was planning to open a new venture and Aswadev had come down from Muscat, leaving behind his job, with “some business plans”. Their focus was on healthy food. “Our initial plan was to supply fruit boxes but that had to be put on hold as we had reservations about its viability. The World Health Organisation recommends consuming more than 400 gram fruits and vegetables every day. However, while intake of fresh fruits and vegetables is more like a habit in the West, we are yet to do that on a regular basis. So we thought cold-pressed juices would be a healthy option,” Sujith says.
Some juices and smoothies available at Green Habito
The USP of Green Habito, they say, is that all juices are cold pressed. “And we don’t use sugar, preservatives, artificial syrups or water,” Aswadev chips in.
Rich in nutrients
They explain that when fruits are cold pressed, no nutrients are lost because there is no heat generated, which happens in the case of a centrifugal juicer. “A lot of research went into finalising the menu. We wanted the right blend of health and flavour. We experimented with different combinations for some months before launching this joint,” says Aswadev.
It’s time to taste the fare. From the 25-odd juice on the menu, I immediately rule out the “healthy” options such as Fat Cutter (red capsicum, apple, cucumber and tomato), Blood Purifier (beetroot, carrot and apple), and Absolute cleanse (broccoli, lettuce, cucumber and ginger). So also Skin Glow (pineapple, amla, aloe vera and tender coconut) and Skin Toner (carrot, water melon and lime), as I was not in a mood for a health booster then. With some apprehension I settle for the special of the day — Popeye Powershot, which has spinach, pineapple and green apple. To my surprise, the rawness of the spinach blend well with the fruits, in spite of not having any sugar in it.
Tender coconut is a common ingredient in many of the drinks. For example, Moksha has tender coconut with lemon and basil, and Longevity is a blend of pineapple, orange, and mosambi with tender coconut!
Moving on to smoothies, there are over 20 on the menu. As the duo try to tempt me with “top sellers” such as Choco Bliss that has banana, dark chocolate, peanut butter and honey, and Peanut Powerhouse, a blend of peanut butter, banana and honey, I go with Nutty Affair. The drink has almond, pistachio, cashew, fig, walnut, raisins and honey. With honey lending the right dose of sweetness, I had nothing to complain about the rich smoothie. “We have an open kitchen because we want people to be rest assured that we are not using water or sugar!” Aswadev says.
Fruit fare
Meanwhile, they have introduced what they had originally planned to sell — “fruit energy boxes”. You can purchase a box with five varieties of fruits for ₹100 (₹110 if you want it delivered). The box has a sachet of dry fruits and one of chaat masala. Sandwich is also there on the menu. The juicery now runs weekly (five days) and monthly (22 days) subscriptions under which the eats and drinks will be delivered.
Fruit box at Green Habito
Right now all products are delivered in and around Kazhakuttam area only. “We are launching ‘Health at desk’. Under this package, the fruit boxes will be delivered in corporate offices along with juice and smoothies. Deep Cleanse is for those planning a juice-only diet. We want to create a demand for healthy food and thereby inculcate a habit,” Sujith says.
Green Habito is open on all days from 11 am to 11 pm. Contact: 8075654646
