We love ingredients – fresh, seasonal and high quality – and wanted to share the story behind our menus to showcase the farmers, growers and producers we value so much. Kelly Richardson, Director at Cambridge Juice Company in Meldreth, Cambridge, recently chatted to us about all things juice and being as sustainable as possible when producing it, the success of their long standing local business and the growing partnership with Wilson Vale. She also name drops (and for very good reason!) a famous face that once enjoyed a Cambridge Juice…

The Cambridge Juice Company produces a wide range of local juices alongside 350 other delicious products made up of local brands wherever possible. They are the only drink producers that refrain from using concentrated ingredients in their cans, and their apples are grown, picked, pressed and bottled just 500 yards from their unit in Cambridgeshire – talk about local!

We asked Kelly for a brief history on the business and to describe the partnership it has with Wilson Vale, and she said:

“The company is entering its 23rd year this year. Our family has been serving the Cambridge area since the early 1900’s where we started in the business as fruit and veg market traders, but from May 2000 we went ahead and started distributing drinks and snacks throughout East Anglia.

“Being a family owned independent business, we follow our conscience, meaning that we don’t follow trends but rather they have followed us. We are passionate about using what is on our local doorstep and we only work with local farmers who share the same ethos as us to promote a local food economy. Essentially, our main goal is to reduce our food miles and carbon footprint as much as possible to create a sustainable business.

“We’ve been working with Wilson Vale since 2018 and we supply a number of sites with local soft drinks and snacks that you won’t find on a supermarket’s shelf. We’re delighted to work with Wilson Vale and to be associated with a company of such standing is a feather in our cap.”

Kelly also opened up about an iconic moment for the Cambridge Juice Company when we asked her to describe her favourite item they produce:

“It’s not a typical response but my favourite item would be a Robert De Niro cocktail, made in honour of the time Robert De Niro came to Cambridge and drank a Cambridge Juice!”

Kelly also left us with her top tip, which is to know your customers wants and needs inside out, and of course to always follow your conscience and not the trends.