We have HUGE news! In fact, this is definitely the most exciting thing to happen since we opened our doors five years ago. We’re getting new, eco-friendly bottles that also happen to look really damn good. How cool is that?! While our old bottles served us well for the last few years, we knew it was time for a change. We’ve grown and evolved so much that we couldn’t possibly ignore our bottles. Our amazing founder Nathalie Streng sat down with us to chat about our cool new bottles and the ideas behind them.

Hi Nathalie! So we’re hearing lots of things swirling around about new bottles at TCPJ. Can you tell us what they are?

AH yes! So when I first started with the idea and concept of The Cold Pressed Juicery 5 years ago, I wanted to serve our organic juices in rectangular bottles with a black cap. At the time, there was no fully raw vegan or juice spot where I could go that had healing foods packaged to go. I also wanted the brand and product to be contemporary and nicely designed. Raw foods had a “stuffy” and “tree hugger-ish” image, and I wanted them to appeal to the entrepreneurs, architects, creatives, students, mothers, fathers, everyone.

At that time, the only bottle I could find was a round plastic bottle with an orange cap. Nothing environmentally friendly and no other shape but round. After a 3 month search I found a rectangular bottle with a black cap. The only downside? It was plastic. A year after we’d opened, other brands popped up, and they also wanted the rectangular shape. Eventually, the plastic really started to bother me, as it was at odds with the clean brand I wanted to be. Everything we do is with the planet in mind: our energy is wind energy, our uniforms and cleaning products are organic, our food is clean and organic, our napkins are recycled plastic, our utensils are made from plants and our shot bottles are made from glass. But our main products were packaged in something that was harming the earth.

Thus I began my hunt for a more environmentally friendly bottle. I reached out to innumerable companies, but the options were few and far between. I investigated glass, aluminium, PLA and many more options. Glass bottles would have a massive carbon footprint because of the number we would need to ship, and it wouldn’t be feasible for customers to balance 12 glass bottles on their bike for a juice cleanse. Plant-based bottles made from corn or PLA didn’t work either, as the juices would begin breaking down the bottles after just two hours inside. The juice and bottle would coagulate into a gross glue-like jelly, as the juice ate away the packaging. So we continued to use our plastic bottles, separating and recycling them as we used them through our special recycling contract with the government.

Finally, a few years later, our search was over. We found the best possible material that is the best for the environment: bottles made from recycled plastic! We are so thrilled to have found a solution that is better for the planet, works for the customer and keep juices intact. Now why has it taken 4 YEARS of non-stop working on the product? We had to find the very best material and iron out our very own design.

The amazing guys at Build in Amsterdam and I, always wanted to design something nobody had done before. We designed a new shape. If we were already making the switch to a more environmentally friendly product, why not create a bottle that embodies our brand identity as well? And thus our gorgeous, recycled, hexagonal bottles were born. We had many struggles with getting our labels onto the bottles properly and finding a company that could manufacture rPet bottles that were almost clear. But in the end, we persevered. Those who dedicate themselves to something will succeed.  

So we know that TCPJ is switching to these mean, green bottles, but can you tell us why?

They are better for the environment and set us apart thanks to their sleek design. Stand out, differentiate. Our bottle is also patented. YAY.

We adore the new hexagonal shape. Can you talk us through the design a bit?

It’s so beautiful, so in line with the rest of the brand. I love cleanliness, clean design, clean people, clean products. Purity. Our logo has lines. Our labels have lines. Our stores are designed with lines in mind.

As you mentioned, the process was a lengthy one. What was it like for TCPJ?

Longest process of my life. It started out all fun and games, drawing inspiration from wine bottles, to make up and perfume bottles. I made mood boards and shared them with Build In Amsterdam, who transformed my ideas in drawings that blew me away.

We’re glad you stuck with it! How will these new bottles affect TCPJ’s carbon footprint?

It will be a lot smaller than regular plastic or glass! My dream scenario would be a shop with huge glass tanks where people could tap their juice from. Naturally I looked into this too, but it’s not really possible unless you have a couple of million EUROS to spare. The tanks would have to be at a constant 5 degrees, with a rotating blade inside to ensure the juice wouldn’t separate. Unlike supermarket juices with stabilisers in them, our natural, organic juices separate, just like they should, so you have to shake them before you drink them.  You can’t shake a 100-litre tank, so this remains a dream scenario for now.

TCPJ is all about sustainability of course, but are there any other plans in the works to make things greener for the company?

Well, this has been our biggest and most important project, and everything else is already super green and sustainable. I cannot think of ways that could improve. We have implemented this from day one. But we are open to suggestions, so if any readers have suggestions, please email me. I always strive to learn and do things better!

Exactly! We always want to be the best we can. So do you know of any other companies that are hopping on the rPet bandwagon that you love?

There is one brand that does it called Earth Water! Love that they do this! Otherwise there aren’t any others that I know of, but lots of cool companies use plant-based or recycled materials.

We’ll have to keep a look out for Earth Water. Can we recycle the new bottles in the same way as normal bottles? Or reuse them even?

At this point recycled plastic is the end product; they cannot be recycled again. But they can definitely be reused. And who knows what the future holds. The world is waking up, so there will be people finding even newer and better solutions that will hopefully be affordable.

Terrific! I am sure we will find tons of new uses for these beautiful bottles. Nathalie, thanks so much for enlightening us. We can’t wait to pop into one of our locations to snap up a few of these soon!