LET'S HELP OUR FRIENDS!

Once upon a time, before REAL GOOD ever existed, Jon Schiff worked as a financial person in a financial office and wore a tie every day and lived the way many Americans do. He woke up, went to work at a desk, felt unfulfilled, came home, went to sleep and woke up to do it all again the next day. When he finally quit his job one Monday morning, he was on Spence Farm that Wednesday, volunteering for Marty, Will, and Kris Travis in Fairbury, IL.

Inspired by his experience on their small, organic, environmentally-friendly farm, Jon created Real Good Juice and decided that he was going to use the same quality of produce, ethics, and discipline in his own business. Real Good Juice continues to get weekly deliveries of produce from Spence Farm and is proud to do so. They remain the most ethical, kind, and conscious farmers we know.

Today, Marty, Will and Kris are raising money for a new refrigerated delivery truck to bring more produce from their farm to Chicago restaurants. By contributing to this effort, you help not just them, but 30 other small farms who they also make deliveries for, and some incredible Chicago chefs who also care deeply about buying responsible food. Please donate here:   https://www.gofundme.com/spencefarmnewtruck 

A Quick Reminder: Why We Buy Our Produce Locally

It's well documented that the U.S. food system is tragically flawed. In a nutshell, agribusiness, factory farming and the standard diet in our country, especially the consumption of animal products, is intricately woven into the state of our environment and its decline, climate change, and hunger and malnutrition around the world (even in the U.S.!).  

Not to be a total bummer, but dwindling resources (super important stuff we all need like fresh water, healthy topsoil, and fossil fuels) are being sucked dry for the production of (mostly) meat, dairy, and eggs. The looming and dooming consequences of this global food system are only sped up by the rate at which our climate is deteriorating. Ugh.

We see this as a major, major problem. And we want to be part of the solution. Which is why we offer plant-based, organic, whole foods that are REAL GOOD for the earth, for our animal friends, and for our bodies. 

Buying local is tremendously important part of the solution, which is why we source so much of our produce from farms that are close by that we can visit. We know our farmers and their practices. Mick Klug Farm is where we get our berries. Our kale, carrots, apples, beets and sweet potato are sourced from Nichols and Spence Farms.  For some of our exotic produce like ginger and turmeric, we source from Kolo Kai Farm in Hawaii, where they harvest on Sunday, send it to us on Tuesday and we juice it on Friday.

The coffee that we prepare and sell is purchased from like-minded neighbors, Gaslight Coffee Roasters, who are headquartered in Logan Square. They get their beans from a mix of fair-trade and small farms.  After we purchase beans from them, we brew it in-house within two weeks. Coffee beans from grocery stores can sit on the shelves for up to two years. Just like our food, coffee beans lose all of their key nutrients and antioxidants as time goes on, so old coffee loses most of its benefits.  

It's simple: we like real food that's real good for you. And it turns out that putting good stuff in  your body does a good thing for the rest of the world too.

The Chicago Tribune Gets Punky

Tribune journalist Marissa Conrad had her initial doubts about the Punky Juice-ster: "I was as skeptical as anyone about a juice the color of a washed-out green olive that touts 'chlorophyll' loudly and proudly among its super-ingredients."  

Despite being the author of stories as "I Double-Fisted the Au Cheval and Small Cheval Burgers," and "I Tried to Eat a 12-Pound Pizza For Sport,”  Ms. Conrad was on the way out of a workout at Studio Three in River North,  and “a brightly colored menu drew me to adjoining Real Good Juice Co. like Katy Perry to a beach-ball dress.”  We liked the next part:

“When I got to the Punky Juice-ster, I could practically hear 7-year-old Soleil Moon Frye from inside the refrigerator she got trapped in playing tag telling me to order it. A few hours later, Google informed me my memory is wrong and it was actually Punky's best friend Cherie who got trapped in the fridge. Whatever. I had already bought the juice. And you know what? It was straight-up delicious.”

Straight-up delicious!

You can read her full review in the Chicago Tribune here.

Want to take a gander at some of the other press R E A L G O O D has gotten? Head on over to our press page and browse away.

Fun Fact

Did you know turmeric is a seasonal plant that can only be harvested 9-10 months after being planted? And because the medicinal properties of turmeric are so powerful and special we choose to only offer it seasonally. That is why we hooked up with Kolo Kai Organic Farms on the island of Kauai. Colette and Benjamin harvest our turmeric on a Sunday, ship it out on a Tuesday and we juice it on that Friday. For a root that grows 4,000 miles away, that's pretty local. 

Turmeric has been known to offer powerful anti-inflammatory remedies as well as help prevent different types of cancer and disease (including Alzheimers) and improve liver function. Not to mention one gazillion other real good stuff it aides. I like it mostly because it tastes like paint thinner and it makes me feel alive. One of those is partially true.

We're offering it two ways right now at the bar. Try our Coconut Milk with Turmeric and Cinnamon or a Real Good Tonic with Apple and Cayenne. 

Start 2016 with R E A L G O O D

Happy New Year, REAL GOOD friends!

2015 was an incredible year for us. We turned one! We opened our second location! We have an amazing team! We work in an awesome community with partners we are fortunate enough to call friends! 

We don't want to get ahead of ourselves, but: 2016 will be even better.

We have so much in store for you this year and can't wait to share it all with our REAL GOOD friends. With Sarah as our regular blogger, you'll be able to come here to read up on everything REAL GOOD. Mostly, we'll blog about the stuff we're most passionate about: the importance of real, local, whole foods in our diets, nutrition, fitness and holistic wellness. There will also be posts about special events, seasonal juices and smoothies, new in-store retail, etc. Our blog will also be where you can come for announcements about REAL GOOD growth and change. It'll be awesome. 

So, what IS happening in January, you ask? 

For the entire month of January, if you sign up for a 3-day or 5-day cleanse you receive 25% off of any Little Barn Apothecary item we have in-store!

Source: Little Barn Apothecary Instagram

LBA is  a company that we really admire. They handcraft small-batch, organic, and wild-harvested beauty and body products in Georgia. Their passion is to create simple, beautiful, efficacious products without fillers or toxic chemicals. Which is why we are proud to carry their products in our store. 

We love you guys. And we want to help you cleanse your insides with REAL GOOD JUICE and also take care of your outsides with LBA. Hooray! 

Place your order for a REAL GOOD cleanse by calling the store.

You can call right now. Don't even get up: 312-846-1897. 

Happy 2016! 

R E A L G O O D Holiday Workouts: Come Sweat & Drink Juice!

Happy holidays....

....to all of the Orange Fitness-ing, Soul Cycling, Pelaton-riding juice drinkers! (And also to everyone else, of course.) To celebrate the holidays, we are hosting three different workouts at a few of our favorite fitness studios in Chicago. If you join us in one of the classes listed below, there will be plenty of juice to sample after class and a chance to win a one-day REAL GOOD JUICE cleanse. We love being healthy during the holidays and want you to feel empowered to do the same! (But also eat some pie because life is all about that balance.)

Sign up for these workout classes as you normally would, and look for the REAL GOOD team at the studio that day. We'll be there sweating it out with you, and we'll be passing out juice (and maybe some other treats!) post-class.

Fitness, nutrition, community...and a happy holiday to all! 

WORKOUT ONE:

When:  Dec. 18 5:45
Where: 1513 N Wells St

WORKOUT TWO:

When: Dec. 19 4pm Hip-Hop Saturday
 Where: 1223 N. Wells St. 

WORKOUT THREE:

When: Dec. 21 5:30pm
Where: Inside Studio Three at 648 N. Clark St.

See you soon!

Pumpkin Spice and Everything Nice

It’s October--which means fall madness: apple picking, questionable Halloween costumes, and the inevitable pumpkin-flavored everything. We get it. Pumpkins are the bomb; they’re delicious. They’re also rich in beta-carotene which helps reduce the risk of cancer, they protect you against heart disease, and delay aging and body degeneration. And let's not forget all of the fiber, potassium, and vitamin C they come with.

What we don’t get? Pumpkin flavored food. Food and drink that has been artificially flavored (generally with a couple of chemical compounds called sabinene or eugenol) and colored orange with the artificial color Citrus Red No. 2 (21 CFR 74.302(c)).  

So what’s a person to do when in need of actual pumpkin awesome-ness?

You probably already know where we’re going with this. Yes, it’s true: REAL GOOD is making a seasonal pumpkin smoothie with nothing but the good, real stuff. We took a little trip to Arthur Amish Farm for fresh, local pumpkins grown for eating and baking. We’re roasting them in-house and blending them up with almond milk, banana, a date, a splash of honey and our own mix of organic spices. We’ll even top it off with some whipped coconut cream--just a little dollop!

The coconut dollop is a thing of true beauty and deliciousness. Just look at it. 

The best freakin’ part about our pumpkin smoothie is that it’s 300 calories, so no need to feel bad about a thing. We’re talking health, sustenance, and deliciousness. Can you say “complete package?”

Put down the artificially-flavored pumpkin mess and pick up the #realgood stuff.

Gimme!