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Green Point Juicery is an organic juice bar offering raw cold-pressed juices, superfood real fruit smoothies, wheatgrass, immune boosters, and raw vegan snacks. In its daily business, Green Point Juicery uses biodegradable cups, straws, and utensils. Most importantly, Eugene, the owner, and manager of Green Point Juicery found a small local farm to work with. The Juicery makes fresh juices with seasonal local produce from Morgan’s Farm and donates all of the juicing pulp and other organic waste back to the farm for compost. Every week, an employee from the farm goes to both locations to pick up the waste, which consists of 50-75 gallons of organic waste (banana peels, etc.) and transforms the waste into organic fertilizer. This is the most successful innovation of Green Point Juicery.
This innovation is a new business model for Green Point Juicery in Sustainability. Eugene’s desire was to do something beneficial to people and the environment. He took his skill and love for making juices into his business model. The cooperation with the farm to make organic waste into organic fertilizer links it to UN Sustainable Development Goals 11 'Sustainable Cities and Communities', 13 'Climate Action' & 15 'Life and land'. First, according to the calculation by Sustainable Organization in Verona, the Green Point Juicery’s innovation makes the town save roughly $3000 in waste disposal yearly. Second, every week, the farm gets 50-75 gallon of organic waste from Green Point Juicery. Third, this innovation makes the company reduce 80% of the actual waste.
In August of 2014, the New Jersey Small Business Development Centers (NJSBDC) launched the New Jersey Sustainable Business Registry, an Internet site where businesses that have implemented sustainable business practices can register their achievements and be recognized. Small businesses across New Jersey are starting to save money, share their successes and inspire other businesses by implementing sustainable business best practices. Joining this list of small businesses, Green Point Juicery located in Verona became one of the first businesses in the state to be recognized as a New Jersey Sustainable Business.
Eugene, the owner, and manager of Green Point Juicery said: "in my heart, I need to be not only financially successful but also sustainable". He wants to do something beneficial to people. At the very beginning, Eugene’s company began using compostable packaging and materials. He always collaborates with ecological friendly suppliers or vendors. And after several months, his team realized that there would produce a lot of pulp because of making juice. Meanwhile, after making juice, they also would get much fruits peel. Eugene thought that these were all good organic ingredients that were put in the garbage, as other restaurant did, and would end up into the landfill. It was not a sustainable way for him to deal with waste. Eugene and his wife then searched for sustainable farms and contacted them one by one. They finally were able to locate a local small sustainable farm to work with, which has been picking up the waste from Green Point Juicery every week and making it into organic fertilizer.
When we interviewed Eugene about his strong belief in sustainable concept and what inspired his innovation, he said: “It’s a part of my life and a part of my philosophy. If you want to do something, you need to do something good. It should be good for people, the environment and yourself. If people make everything clean and sustainable, the earth will be cleaner.” At the second interview with Eugene, he mentioned again “We try to be as green as possible. Sustainability is a part of my life and a part of my business philosophy.” Eugene is a "do-gooder" who follows the principle of "if you do something, do something good". Good for yourself, for other people and for the environment.
Green Point Juicery has a long-term impact on the business, society, and environment in New Jersey. Green Point Juicery innovation save thousands of dollars through the collaboration with New Jersey local farms instead of using waste management companies. All members of the company utilize this innovation; it is what the company was founded on.
“When I make juices, I try to make it so you taste every ingredient,” Eugene says. When it comes to short-term effects, it’s like a win-win innovation. Eugene admits, however, that he might not tell green-vegetable averse youngsters that there’s kale or spinach in their cup “until the third time they ask for it.” His clientele, by the way, includes both parents who bring their kids and kids who bring their parents. So that more and more clients will come to the store, and more money will be saved. And yes, there is a demand for 100% organic juices in Verona.
There is some concrete evidence to suggest the impact that has occurred. Every week, the farm will come to the Green Point Juicery to get 50-75 gallon organic waste and this innovation makes the Green Point Juicery reduce 80% waste. According to the calculation by Sustainable Organization in Verona, the Green Point Juicery’s innovation makes the town save roughly $3000 dollars for waste disposal a year. Green Point Juicery achieved recognition for its use of biodegradable products, eco-friendly cleaning solutions, its emphasis on the importance of recycling, and the use of seasonal local produce. Its composting initiative efforts resulted in 20,000 pounds of yearly waste reduction that resulted in a $1,200 savings for the Township of Verona.
In Eugene’s opinion, organic waste will be transferred to organic fertilizer. Firstly, it will reduce the pollution of the environment, since normally, people use landfill to dispose of the garbage. But through Green Point Juicery innovation, there is no need to use landfill to deal with its organic waste. Making waste into organic fertilizer is a great way to reduce pollution and do less harm to the land. Secondly, organic fertilizer facilitates the growth of vegetables from which consumers can get sufficient nutrition from, hence having a long-term positive effect on society.
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Eugene Onishkevich, Manager
Located in Verona and Morristown, Green Point Juicery is an organic juice bar offering raw cold-pressed juices, superfood real fruit smoothies, wheatgrass, immune boosters, and raw vegan snacks. It uses recycled glass, plastic containers, plastic bags, cardboard, and paper. Most importantly, it collects organic waste for composting at a local farm.