Creating the Perfect Coffee Blend

Like so many successful healthy food and beverage companies, Jus by Julie got its start in someone’s kitchen–in this case it was Julie Maleh’s. When her husband was diagnosed with high cholesterol, Maleh put her health coach training to work whipping up green smoothies every morning. “They provided us with the much-needed vitamins, minerals and fiber that our bodies yearned for while taming our sugar cravings and giving us tons of energy. I felt more vibrant almost instantly, and amazingly my husband’s cholesterol went down 70 points,” she says.

When Maleh began sharing her blended juices with people outside her family, they wanted more. So much more that before long Maleh was finding herself getting up at 4 am to make the juices. She made the business official when she launched Jus by Julie in 2011.

Today, the Brooklyn-based company operates six stores in the New York City area, runs a food truck, and sells its drinks and snacks on its website and ships across the continental U.S. Among its product offerings are multiple probiotic SKUs–Probiotic Cold Brew coffee, Probiotic shots and Probiotic/Prebiotic Food and Drink Mix.

“Our products resonate with health-minded individuals looking for an approachable way to be healthier with products that taste great. Our audience is primarily women, but also some men,” according to Maleh. Research shows that 79 percent of consumers want probiotics in foods and beverages, rather than popping another pill.

New Ways to Get the Power of Probiotics

Why add probiotics to drinks? “The demand in the market for functional foods and beverages is high and growing. Probiotics and their benefits fit within our ecosystem of products and allow us to provide our customers with products that have multiple health benefits,” says Alan Maleh, the company’s CEO.

For its probiotic SKUs, Jus by Julie uses BC30™ (Bacillus coagulans GBI-30, 6086), a patented probiotic strain. “After researching, we found BC30 to be the top brand in the industry in terms of quality in its strain of vegan probiotics,” Maleh says.

Surviving  Manufacturing 

BC30’s ability to survive when others cannot also made it an ideal ingredient for Jus by Julie products. Most probiotics cannot survive extreme heat, pressure and manufacturing processes, but BC30 can. The probiotic’s unique structure safeguards the cell’s genetic material from the heat and pressure of the manufacturing process. It easily incorporates into products, overcomes shelf-life challenges and withstands the acid and bile to which it’s exposed during digestive transit. This means that it’s easy to formulate a wide range of products with BC30.

Most manufacturers, including Jus by Julie, find it easy to formulate with BC30. “We appreciate that the probiotic itself is flavorless, so we’re able to continue to provide our customers with great-tasting products,” Maleh explains.

Jus by Julie

The company’s Probiotic Cold Brew launched with a splash in 2016. “The coffee garnered a ton of press. We have just launched the rest of our probiotic products and they are off to a great start in terms of both media and customer interest,” Maleh says. The Probiotic + Prebiotics Shots are in 7-Eleven stores and are gaining traction elsewhere. We hope to have accelerated growth coming into the 4th quarter.”

As the company expands into snacks, probiotic SKUs will continue to be in the mix. “We are producing a Probiotic-Infused Cashew Hummus & Cracker Snack Pack that will be on the market soon,” Maleh says. With the positive response Jus by Julie’s probiotic products is garnering, you can expect a lot more innovative functional food and beverage options from this growing company.

Want to include BC30 in your food or beverage product? Contact us.