The Hidden Costs of Juicing

Twisted Alchemy was founded with hospitality businesses in mind. We grew from our founders’ experience in the industry, and we are constantly striving to create solutions for food and beverage managers, bartenders, and restaurateurs. Because of our long history in and around bars and kitchens all over the world, we know very well that these properties are often operating on thin margins. We also know that food and beverage managers that already have their plates overflowing are often burdened with hidden costs. Inventory. Overhead. Licensing. There are so many sneaky line items lurking in the fine print of the ever-growing pile of bills that arrive at properties every day. These expenditures are often intentionally complex and difficult to decipher. This leaves little room to consider something as simple as juice. The cost of purchasing whole citrus for juicing might not immediately seem like an area that should raise red flags. However, when product, labor, and storage are factored in, a savvy f&b manager might begin to wonder if the juice is worth the squeeze. 

We sat down and did the math. Based on an average labor cost of $14.62/hour, it can cost between $4-$6 in labor costs alone to squeeze 24.5 ounces of lime juice. That doesn’t include time to prep and clean equipment, which vary wildly. Maybe that sounds like it is in your budget! Until you stop to consider the hidden costs that come alongside the cartons of fresh citrus. For every ounce of juice squeezed onsite, you’re spending on average $0.03 per ounce on cleaning, rind disposal, water, dishwashing, and storage. While that doesn’t sound like a lot, bars and kitchens go through hundreds of ounces of citrus every day. These costs add up over time.

Additionally, the incredibly high rate of spoilage for freshly squeezed citrus means a lot of that overhead gets wasted. It is estimated that at least 10% of all citrus will spoil before it's used. Twisted Alchemy juices have a greater shelf life than hand squeezed juices. Citrus yield is also highly variable due to size of fruit, rind thickness, season, and growing time. This makes it nearly impossible to predict your citrus yield. Each carton of citrus ordered into your property could vary heavily, meaning your cost margin will fluctuate strongly. According to our very detailed calculations, juicing on-premise for a craft cocktail program costs 70 cents per oz compared to Twisted Alchemy’s curated cold pressed juices at just 52 cents per oz. Wave goodbye to navigating fluctuations in produce prices, yields, sweetness levels (Brix) or pH levels. Twisted Alchemy offers more control and predictability to run your business with better quality and variety of juices for your cocktails. It's pretty hard to shake your finger at greater, more consistent quality at a lower cost.