The Exeter-based health lover decided to take matters into her own hands last year, when she became sick of not being able to buy healthy drinks in her area. “I felt there was a gap in the market for pressed juices in the South-West after going into cafe after cafe and finding that the only juices available were full of refined sugar.” Pressed juices rely on hydraulic presses to extract the liquid.

 

Sugary drinks are extremely popular in this country, with Brits downing 14.8 billion litres of soft drinks in 2014 alone, according to The British Soft Drink Association’s 2015 annual report. But the industry took a blow recently when the government announced the sugar tax. This means by 2018 it would tax all manufacturers who put more than five grams of sugar per every 100ml of liquid. 

 

Milk-based drinks and fruit juices like the one Emily Hughes is making are exempt from the tax, in an attempt to promote the healthier beverages. But they don't come cheap: a 250ml bottle, containing a mixture of Kale, Cucumber, Celery, Apple and Ginger costs up to £3 depending on the retailer - in comparison to 1.75 Litres of Tropicana orange juice, which costs £3.50, but contains three and a half sugar cubes per 200ml.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The drinks are made from fruit and veg

 

Hughes says that her product, ‘Empress Juices’ is naturally sweet, as it's made from a combination of fresh fruit and vegetable juices, with no need for refined sugar. “Now obesity is on the up, having purely pressed juices encourages a healthier lifestyle with some of your five a day as well as no refined sugar,” she said.

 

Celebrity chef Jamie Oliver, who has campaigned tirelessly for the sugar tax and to educate the nation on the negative effects of sugar in an attempt to combat child obesity, performed a celebratory dance outside parliament when George Osborne announced the tax in his budget in March.

 

Most 19-year-olds wouldn’t dream of being able to set up their own business, but Hughes explains that it’s something she’s always wanted to do, and it really is easier than you might think. 

 

”I also just loved the idea of starting up a business, being your own boss and building it up for it to gradually grow. Given that the business is in its infancy, the production process at present is very simple. I source all the bottles, labels and lids in bulk and I juice all of the fruits and vegetables myself.”

 

University might not be best option

 

Starting your own business instead of heading to university might not be such a bad idea after-all, with figures published the Higher Education Statistics Agency revealing that 16,730 UK and EU full-time university leavers were unemployed six months after finishing their degree in the 2013/14 academic year, and a third of all graduates were employed in ‘non-professional’ jobs which did not require a degree at all.

 

Obviously, she does receive some business advice, in the form of mum and dad, Fenella and Simon. “As Empress Juices is only small at the moment, I do most of it myself but I do have help from my parents. Mum helps more with the healthy food side to it and Dad helps with the business side of things.”

 

Fenella says they have had some difficulties along the way but are hopeful for the future. “At the moment we’re working on a way to pasteurise the juices without losing their flavour to make for a longer shelf life.”

 

Business advisors Mum and Dad

 

Fenella and Simon, run a B&B in their farmhouse in Devon when they’re not helping Emily with her business, and have admitted the locals have been more difficult to win over than the Londoners. “In London everyone loves healthy juices, it’s not a new concept, but down here in Exeter the concept isn’t as widely known,” said Emily’s mum.

 

If all goes to plan, in five years the budding business woman would like to have found a solution to her pasteurisation problems and a longer shelf life will mean she can sell her product to supermarkets so it’s available for people all over the country to try. 

 

“I will continue to produce fresh juices locally and sell them in Exeter and London, but I hope to have them further afield, and to have added flavours for a wide range of juices.”

 

Watch this space!