SFH #188: Orange You Glad I'm Back
A look at the history of orange juice 🍊
Hello Friends 👋. I got my internet installed today in my new apartment (I moved in two weeks ago). And I got a new job 😉. I start on November 15th. And most importantly for you, I'm finally getting back to writing after my most extended break yet.
…well technically 18 days.
Let's get back to simple, fun, and healthy content.
Our culture of consumption has a long history of taking something healthy and altering it to different degrees of less than its natural, healthful state for capital gains. Orange juice is a $30m segment in the beverage industry, thanks mainly to the growers in my new home state!1 So let's take a look at how this squeezed treat grew into a cultural staple.
In the video below, you'll learn how the orange growers problem in California caught the attention of an adman that came up with a creative solution to solve a surplus issue in the early part of the 20th century.
With a preservation dilemma keeping cold-weather states from enjoying 'canned' OJ that successfully sold in California, the answer came in an unlikely solution stemming from a push to cure scurvy for troops in WWII.
Did you grow up drinking orange juice from concentrate? I did. 🙋♂️ The story of OJ is quite an exciting journey when you dive in (trying watching the video at 1.25x speed - implementation my health-seeking friends 🙏).
Before you scroll down and hit play, I did want to mention I don't believe in drinking fresh-squeezed juice as a healthy practice. It's why I water down everything my family drinks that contains natural or added sugar: mostly natural fruit juices and kombuchas in this home. We need the natural fiber in the body of the fruit that is primarily stripped away with fresh-squeezed juice of any sort. It is why I opt for eating whole fruit and leaning into water for hydration. If you are looking for more flavor and excitement in life, just add your fruit to water. Lemons, limes, berries, and of course, oranges. Heck, I'm ensuring I get all the nutrition when making a 'juice' aka a smoothie (get all their goodies, folks!)
Okay. Now you can watch. 📺
https://www.statista.com/outlook/cmo/non-alcoholic-drinks/juices/orange-juice/worldwide