As the consumer market grows more health-conscious, manufacturers have been responding to people’s changing dietary demands. Coldfield Manufacturing is taking note of this consumer shift. The beverage company added grapefruit juice to its Pure Country line in November last year to complement its existing orange, pineapple, cran-sorrel, cherry, and June plum juices. Speaking with Thursday Food, Jordan Wong, director of sales and marketing at Coldfield Manufacturing, said the company is keenly aware of the niche market for healthy products. “Grapefruit is such a natural Jamaican product… it allows people to curb their appetite, and since more people are now prone to weight control, we recognised a market for it,” he said, stressing the year-round readiness of the sugar-free product in contrast to the seasonal availability of other brands.

“We have a beautiful grapefruit that was formulated in Belize and they maintain a worldwide standard,” he further noted, explaining that the supplier has the grapefruit concentrate on the ready all year-round. The Pure Country grapefruit juice, Wong added, has been well received by the local consumer market and is also the official drink of Bacchanal Jamaica.

In a recent visit to the Observer’s editorial department, Jordan’s sibling, Brett Wong, Coldfield’s managing director (who came bearing one-litre bottles of grapefruit juice, as well as pineapple and cran-sorrel juices to sample), highlighted the health benefits their new grapefruit product. “It’s a great source of Vitamin C, but also contains Vitamins A, B complex, E and K along with anti-oxidants, bioflavonoids and other cancer-fighting agents,” he noted.

He also hailed the grapefruit beverage as “suprisingly smooth and refreshing without the ‘wrench-up’ face reaction that comes from most grapefruit juices”.