Cold-Pressed Juices To Go: Viva Raw's Electric Tuk Tuk Hits the Road
POSTED BY ETUK BLOG ON OCT 10, 2017 2:57:16 PM
iva Raw is expanding its reach by taking its cold-pressed juices on the road. The company has invested in an electric tuk-tuk — a three-wheeled vehicle used as a taxi in countries such as Thailand — to transport its offerings around town.
It is the only one of its kind in the Carolinas, says Scott Harris, owner. “It gives us a lot more flexibility,” he says.
Viva Raw got its start in October 2011. It currently operates a permanent location at the 7th St. Public Market in uptown Charlotte.
Viva Raw offers a variety of fresh, cold-pressed juices featuring primary ingredients from beets, carrots and citrus.
There’s also options such as the Green Harvest, with cucumber, apple, kale, collard greens, celery, lemon and parsley, or the Almond Bliss, with almond milk, bananas, almond butter, dates, cinnamon and cacao.
Raw foods including granolas and cashew-based cheeses are available as well.
The addition of the tuk-tuk makes it possible to expand its reach, with stops across Charlotte throughout the week. That includes time at The Green in uptown, Skyhouse and Pure Pizza, among others, Harris says.
He says the tuk-tuk has helped increase sales by roughly 15% in its first few months of operation; he’s already considering adding a second one.
It cost roughly half what it would have taken to invest into a second storefront, Harris adds. He declined to share specifics.
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“We sell directly to the consumer. That means we have to get pretty creative,” he says.
For Harris, Viva Raw has provided an opportunity to carve out his own business niche in the Queen City.
He started in banking and finance, but found juicing a number of years ago at a friend’s suggestion. The results led him to explore bringing it to Charlotte.
More and more people are making changes to their diet and lifestyle, with juicing becoming more common. Some customers used the products to get an extra serving of fruits and veggies in concentrated form, while others use the products for juice cleanses.
“Little by little, it’s caught on,” he says.
Article was originally posted by Jennifer Thomas – Staff Writer, Charlotte Business Journal a year ago.http://hs.etukusa.com/blog/cold-pressed-juice-viva-raw-tuk