GLENDALE — Here's something I didn't realize was made in the Milwaukee area - Juiced! It's a cold pressed juice company that ships all over the country. It has the look and taste of a long-established national brand, but it was born in the Cream City a little over a decade ago. (Juiced! is stylized with an exclamation point.)
The drink has become popular for being 100 percent juice with no additives. That has always been the mission of Juiced! ever since it started in 2012 out of a food truck. Then it transitioned to a storefront. Eventually, they closed the store and moved into a Glendale warehouse to focus on production and shipping to 48 states.
“Our goal is to get our Juice in every single store that a Coke or a Pepsi's in," Mike Bortolotti, the chief revenue officer at Juiced!, said.
Bortolotti and his business partner bought the company in 2017 from the original owner with hopes to make it a national brand. Now, Juiced! sells 1,000,000 bottles a year in stores and online.
“And I think we've taken us from kind of a ma and pa establishment into what kind of feels like a national brand," Bortolotti said.
You can find it in plenty of local grocery stores like Pick N Save, Metro Market, or Sendik's. But if you're a pro athlete in Wisconsin, you've probably seen it in your locker room.
“We work with the Packers, obviously we've been with the Bucks and the Brewers," Bortolotti said.
And if you’re a pro athlete in Chicago, you finally have some good news to celebrate. You’re getting this Milwaukee-made product in your locker rooms, too.
Watch the story to see more of the manufacturing process...
“We’re working with a distributor now in Chicago that’s taking us into all the professional teams down there," Bortolotti said.
Juiced! isn't the first company to sell juices like this. But they have figured out the winning recipe, regarding both the actual ingredients and manufacturing process. These juices have a shelf life of 120 days thanks to their high-pressure processing system.
“Every bottle is close to tasting the same, and that's very hard to do with fresh produce and vegetables. You know produce is seasonal, right?" Bortolotti said.
Making your own pressed juice at home is one thing. Making a million bottles a year is something else.
“You know, to get this (lemon) into a juice form takes a lot. We're not just taking water and sugar and mixing it like Kool Aid," Bortolotti said.
In the future, they're hoping to expand their product line and make Wisconsin not just known for beer but juice, too.
It’s about time to watch on your time. Stream local news and weather 24/7 by searching for “TMJ4” on your device.
Available for download on Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, and more.
