MANILA, Philippines — The growth of the health and wellness industry has paved the way to the demand of fresh juices, available everywhere, from stand alone stalls to posh coffee shops. Last year, Starbucks Corporation acquired the juice maker Evolution Fresh, Inc. and expressed its intentions of coming up with its own juice bars in the near future.

For Fruit Magic CEO and President, Dr. Alan Escalona, providing people an option to live a healthy life is the heart of his business. “I guess it’s the doctor in me, the discipline in me in that aspect,” he shares. “Eto yung masarap dito sa negosyo na ito (this is what makes this business wonderful). You know that you’re providing a healthy lifestyle, you’re providing family relationships to grow because you live longer.”

Rediscovering the magic of fruits

When Escalona took over Fruit Magic in 1999 together with his brother and sister-in-law, he was determined to make the company a leader in the fresh fruit juice industry in the country.

Part of the plan was going to the U.S. to study juice bar mixing. He would go from one fruit juice bar to another, just observing how people do their drinks, getting the feel of things, and seeing how each bar differed from one another. He also commissioned industrial designer Duane Quintal to refurbish the stores, setting the colors that created a uniform look and designing them in a way that is convenient for his sales team. He also focused on the service, the proper wearing of uniform and the way his sales people spoke. In no time, Fruit Magic branched out to16 stores. At present, it has more than 60 branches.

The secret of Fruit Magic’s success can be attributed to the way fruit juices are prepared. Not only do customers actually see how their drinks are done, they are also assured that fruits used in the process are really fresh, thanks to the freezing technology each store uses. Upon purchase of fruits, they keep them in freezers and store them in chillers in refrigerators once brought to the stores.

“There were many studies that came out saying that once a fruit has the right amount of ripeness, its nutritional value is also at its peak,” Escalona explains. “Basically, what makes the fruit sweet is the bacteria, there is fermentation. With refrigeration and chilling, you tend to slow down the bacterial growth; it (fruit) stays longer, fresher. The vitamins and minerals are suspended but once it reaches the body, it gets released again,” Escalona adds. This also allows Fruit Magic to deal with the typhoon seasons when fruits and vegetables are harder to find.

Branching out

When Fitness First came to the Philippines in 2004, Escalona saw the opportunity to introduce Fruit Magic to the fitness center. “I just walked in. I offered my services because they were offering soft drinks, banana, and iced teas and coffee. I made a presentation; I told them it’s kind of counter-productive if you’re drinking soda and iced tea after working out, it’s not nutritious. We started with one branch (in ABS-CBN) then the rest followed,” he recalls.

The expansion continued. Fruit Magic offered franchising in 2007. Twenty percent of the entire Fruit Magic enterprise are franchises. Three years ago, they also came out with Fruit Magic Lounge, offering customers healthy snacks like pizzas, pastries, wraps and sandwiches.

Fruit Magic also has branches in Cebu and Iloilo, but Escalona revealed they also plan on expanding further in Visayas and Mindanao. He said they want every local area to have a commissary. “And for a commissary to thrive, it must have (at least) five branches,” he says.

Service over profit

More than the expansion and sales, however, Escalona believes that at the end of the day, what his company wants to achieve is to inspire people to live healthier lives.

“Everybody should be given a chance to be healthy,” he asserts. It’s also a form of service, he says. “Money will just come in. If it’s always going to be about money, the tendency is you’ll scrimp. Eventually you’ll get tired. But if the intention is to provide health, you don’t think of money immediately,” he says.

And that speaks of Fruit Magic’s guiding principle: “To complete the circle towards a balanced and healthy life, [one must lead] a sustainable and happy one. Di ba ang sarap na kasama ka sa equation na yun (Wouldn’t it be wonderful to be part of that equation)? We can only do little things and I think that is my contribution to having a good happy life.”