Smoothies are huge at the moment and for good reason.  All you need is a decent blender, three or four ingredients and you can make a personalised nutritious drink.  Key to most smoothies are fruit and fruit juices but how do you know which ones are the best for your smoothies?
 
Creating the perfect smoothie
 
Before you start looking at the ingredients, it is a good idea to understand how to make the perfect smoothie because there is a bit of an art to it.  The key is about the ratio of ingredients you put in it – too much liquid and you have a simple juice drink.  But too little and you have something too dense to drink.  Both are great but for the perfect smoothie, aim for the middle ground.
 
The aim of the smoothie mix is for it to be creamy, full of flavour and filling.  That means balancing the fruit, protein and a little healthy fat with enough liquid to make it into a drink.  For the fruit, go for one cup of fruit per single portion.  You can use fresh or frozen but if you go with frozen, don’t add any additional ice.
 
Three-quarters of a cup of liquid will make for a great ratio.  There are lots of different options for water and milk to fruit juices.  Don’t be afraid to go to a Fruit juice supplier to get something a little different from the standard orange or apple juice and bump up the nutrition.
 
A tablespoon of something like a nut or seed butter or one-quarter of an avocado can add those healthy fats if you want.  Even adding something like chia seeds can be an option and doesn’t alter the consistency of the drink.
 
Finally, if you haven’t used frozen fruit but you want a chilled smoothie, add a cup of ice.  Crushed can be better than ice cubes if you don’t have a high powered blender so you don’t have to wait for ages for the lumps to melt.
 
Best fruit for smoothies
 
Any fruit is good in a smoothie and you can combine them in ways to create the kind of flavours you like.  A classic is something like strawberry and banana while a tropical option might add pineapple, coconut and mango.  Here are some of the crucial fruit smoothie ingredients to try:
 
·         Berries (strawberry, blackberry, raspberry, blueberry)
·         Banana
·         Apple
·         Mango
·         Pineapple
·         Peach/Nectarine/Apricot
·         Melon (including watermelon)
·         Cherries
 
Green ingredients can also add a huge amount of nutritional goodness to your drink and if you combine them with fruit, the fruit masks the less tasty elements of the greens.  Top green ingredients include:
 
·         Kale
·         Spinach
·         Avocado
·         Cucumber
·         Cauliflower
 
Other ‘green’ ingredients that aren’t actually green that can be added to smoothies include carrot and pumpkin.  These add their nutritional stuff to the drink and the fruit helps with their flavour.  Unless you like the flavour, then don’t worry about the fruit!
 
Smoothie bowls
 
If you want to make your smoothie for breakfast but aren’t a big fan of a liquid meal, then another option is to make a smoothie bowl.  These work the same as smoothie drinks only you change the balance of ingredients a little to make them thicker.  Then you serve them in a  bowl and eat with a spoon just like a breakfast cereal.  They are also a great option for kids and can be made to look pretty and come in fun colours that will inspire them to eat.
 
Making smoothies is an easy and tasty way to get those 5-a-day that we all hear so much about.  You can add your favourite fruits, use them to mask nutritious but less tasty greens and even transform them into a sit-down breakfast for the kids.

For more information about fruit options from a fruit juice supplier like JC Dudley, feel free to get in touch today!

When you visit the supermarket you will often see products that are labelled ‘organic’ – and notice that they usually cost more than the non-organic versions.  But most of us are a little unsure about what makes an organic product.  Then there is the question of whether these products are healthier than non-organic versions.

What is organic?

According to the Department for Agriculture and Rural Affair (DEFRA), organic food is produced by a farming system that avoids the use of man-made fertilisers, pesticides, growth regulators and livestock feed additives.  There is also a ban on the use of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) that apply to most foods.
The aim of organic agriculture is to create a system of food production that is environmental, socially and economically sustainable. It uses approaches such as crop rotation, animal and plant manures, biological pest control and even hand weeding in some cases.

What this means for the product

The overall aim of the organic approach is to farm with a closer attention paid to nature.
This means fewer chemicals used that can leak into waterways or cause other types of pollution. It is an approach that also encourages wildlife and biodiversity, restoring the countryside to what it once was while still producing the food that we need.
Another big focus is avoiding veterinary medicines such as antibiotics when raising livestock. There is a big emphasis on animal welfare, requiring animals to be kept in more natural conditions such as free-range chickens.

Organic labelling

For most people, when we encounter organic it is through the labelling on the products that we buy. This is very strict with regulations that the Food ingredient company stick by to ensure that when something is called ‘organic’ it truly is.
For composite foods such as those containing a mixture of animal and plant products, something can only be called organic if at least 95% of the ingredients come from organically produced plantsor animals. This is an EU rule that means such foods need to be approved by an organic certification board before it can be used.
There are other labels you may see that help you understand what the food is. The Soil Association is a gold standard of organic labelling for example. You will also see that any non-organic ingredients will be listed because some things are unavoidable. Organic foods also ban all artificial colourings and sweeteners.

Is organic food healthier?

The question of whether organic foods are healthier or not is still one that hasn’t been determined decisively either way.  One case for it is that they are based on the way they are produced as well as being kinder to the environment and the livestock themselves.
A report back in 2009 from the Food Standards Agency said there was no clear difference in health terms between organic and non-organic foods.  But, since then, a number of smaller reports have shown this might not be the whole picture.  For example, some organic produce has a slightly higher content of vitamins and minerals.  And these foods have lower levels of pesticide residue and heavy metals due to their production methods.

A personal choice

Opting for organic is completely a personal choice.  Here at JC Dudley, we offer a number of ingredients in organic variations so that if our customers want to offer this to their customers, we can help.  For people who are concerned about their impact on the environment then organic definitely has its plus points. Even from the view of being potentially a little healthier, there’s evidence that organic could be the way to go.

To find out more about JC Dudley as a food ingredient company, get in touch today.

​Look out the window right now and you might see some crunchy frost glazing your lush green lawn, an icicle hanging from the skeletal tree branches or maybe even a snowman or two!
 
It’s the time of year for long dark nights full of wet, icy and freezing conditions and you are best off staying inside, somewhere warm, or even better, jetting off to a far flung sunny climate with a good beach and a pina colada!
 
What you will not see much of, is any fresh fruit or vegetable. Sure, there are some hardy plants which can brave and survive the UK climate, but they are few and far between and do not offer the varied flavour, colour and nutrients we have come to expect from our many and varied diet, and it takes a dedicated soul to work that iron-like soil to reap whatever harvest you may be able to in winter weather such as ours.
 
Since the advent of cheaper and more frequent international travel, the ‘package tour’ and jetting off for some ‘winter sun’ has become ubiquitous and a welcome relief for many who can get away from the perpetual gloom for some well needed Vitamin D. The world is a smaller place and exotic and vibrant locations around the world which we love to visit are accompanied by exotic and delicious fruit and vegetables. Along with the growth of a desire to see and taste the world, we come to expect that we will be able to eat and drink these delicious and different foodstuffs. In this the Fruit ingredient suppliers of the world have not remained idle, you can now get hold of fruit and vegetables from around the world at any time of the year to liven up any cold winter night.
 
Here at JC Dudley, we have taken on the arduous task of travelling the world to source the freshest and tastiest of produce for our customers. Since 1983 we have fostered relations with small family-run suppliers from Honduras to China to ensure you receive great produce, ethically grown in as sustainable and environmentally friendly manner as possible. For this reason, we are a proud affiliate of SEDEX and work hard to audit our suppliers regularly to ensure they conform to the highest of standards. Our standards.
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It must taste good AND be good for us
 
Of course, the world has become a much smaller place, but as a consumer we want the best of both worlds. We want delicious flavoursome food on our plates whenever we want, even though it might have to travel many thousands of miles to get there. This, on top of the fact that we all want this puts a large strain on the world of fruit ingredient suppliers. We want great taste, healthy foods as cheap as we can. No problem!
 
Since 1983 we have been striving for exactly this mix, so that we can provide the very best. We have adopted the very best methods to ensure that those Mangoes grown in Mexico taste and deliver the exact same nutritional hit as if they had just been plucked from the tree. Methods such as IQF (individual quick freezing), Aseptic packaging techniques and a vast array of preparation methods have ensured that we can provide cost effective yet innovative products for you to use.
 
In this rapidly changing climate we offer the following methods of preparation for a dizzying array of fruit and vegetables.
 
·         Concentrate
·         Juice
·         Freeze concentrate
·         Pulp concentrate
·         Puree
·         Puree concentrate
·         Oil
·         Natural colours
·         Aromas
·         Fruit powders
·         IQF Fruit/Veg
 
Some of these are also available in spray controlled or organic form to ensure you can guarantee the most sustainable products for your customers.
 
With our wealth of experience, we are always looking outside the box, and would welcome your conversation if you were looking to provide or create something entirely new with any of our products. We are always looking to satisfy and innovate and can utilise our decades of experience to do so. Get in touch with us here.

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In the food industry, knowing your IQF, your NFC your Fruit and your Vegetables is key to ensuring you get the quality produce you need for your shop, hotel or restaurant.

At JC Dudley almost all of our vegetables and the majority of our fruit and fruit juices are available IQF (individually quick frozen).
 
Examples of IQF foods are fruits like apricots, loganberries, strawberries, blueberries and peaches and vegetables like peas, carrots, ginger and green beans.

IQF Process Development

The IQF (individually quick frozen) process was developed by mistake!
 Whilst ice fishing in Canada, a biologist realised that when he caught a fish from underneath the ice on this particularly cold day (40-degrees-below-zero) the ice would instantly freeze solid around the fish when he threw them onto the snow. The biggest surprise however, was that some of these fish were still alive after they had thawed...
 
This phenomenon happens because when something freezes quickly, it creates smaller ice crystals than when it freezes slowly. Larger ice crystals damage cells and tissues, but smaller ice crystals do not do the same damage, and so your fruit and vegetable (and meat and fish too), if frozen quickly, will remain as tasty and intact as the moment they were harvested.  
 
The humble pea is renowned in fact for being perfectly formed and still sweet and tasty when defrosted, and it is common place for homes around the UK to have a bag of frozen peas for an almost instant 1 of their 5 a day. In fact, it is far more likely that a household would have IQF peas than they would have freshly picked peas, unless they grow their own of course.
 
In fact, after just 24 hours, peas can become grainy and taste a little bland. Frozen peas, however, are picked and frozen at the peak of ripeness. This stops the process of sugars turning into starch, keeping the fresh picked taste we have all come to love.
 
IQF also means that fruit and vegetable seasonalities are affected in a positive way, and peas are not just for summer!
Frozen peas can retain the fresh picked quality for about 12 months in the freezer (if properly stored), and will usually remain safe to eat long after that time.

The ice-fishing biologist who made this discovery went on to apply this process (now known as IQF) to commercially packaged foods. His name was Clarence Birdseye.

JC Dudley and IQF Fruit, Fruit Juices and Vegetables

At JC Dudley, we can source the very best IQF Fruit, IQF Fruit Juices and IQF Vegetables for your shop, restaurant or hotel, saving you the time of not only sourcing, but of building up those trusted relationships with quality suppliers and vetting them for years. We work with only the very best IQF suppliers, and bring them to your table, already tried, tested and approved.
 
Knowing that our supplies offer high quality, reliability and excellent service level means you can get on with the business you are good at and leave the IQF sourcing to us.  
 
To find out more about our IQF Fruit, Fruit Juices and Vegetables and the other products and services we have on offer, browse our site or contact us.

Juice concentrates are a great way of maintaining the fresh fruit flavour and colour profiles whilst preserving the natural goodness at a lower price than freshly squeezed juice. Juice concentrates can be kept frozen until they are used by adding water, which increases the length of time the concentrate lasts for after purchase and also how long it keeps its freshness.
Juice Concentrates vs. Fresh Juice
Juice concentrates and freshly squeezed juice are similar in regards to some of their nutritional values, such as calorie and sugar content. Both juices offer a source of glucose, fuelling your body with energy.
Although some may say fresh juice contains more vitamin content due to the loss of vitamins through processing that juice concentrate undertakes, the nutrient fortification means that juice concentrates sometimes contains nutrients not found in fresh juices. Nutrient fortification is the addition of vitamins and minerals during the processing stage that the juice concentrate goes through. For example, research shows that a 1 cup serving of apple juice concentrate which has been through the fortification process fulfils the entire daily vitamin C requirement, whereas a 1 cup serving of fresh apple juice contains just 17% of the daily vitamin C requirements.
JC Dudley - Juice Concentrates​
Our juice concentrates contain 100% juice which is another requirement to make sure you maintain the freshness and nutritional value within your drink. Also, if our juice concentrates are frozen for your convenience, they will supply you with a large amount of water to help keep you hydrated throughout the day. Our juice concentrates are fresh and affordable, to ensure your vitamins and nutrients are preserved. We also make sure a little goes a long way and so you can drink our concentrates as and when you may want to.
 
To find out more about our fruit concentrates and the other products we have on offer, browse our site or contact us.

​From America to the UK , Millennials appear to be on a growing health kick. It’s more than just appearance, ‘being health conscious also enhances mental and emotional health’.
 
We now have immediate access to so much information about our bodies, with activity trackers such as Fitbit, Apple watch, Misfit, Xiaomi and Moov Now, Millennials are actively adopting new ways to stay fit, focused and adjusted to a truly active lifestyle.
 
However, living a fast paced lifestyle can sometimes result in a life of fast food. This mobile generation of kids on-the-go, need a fast solution to refuel.
 
JC Dudley are presenting you with the perfect opportunity for a new a new business start-up and to be ready with a readily available healthy solution to this refuelling need.
 
Our fruit purees are 100% natural and are processed to maintain as much as possible of the health benefits found in the original fruits namely:

• The fibre content
• The nutrients and vitamin profile to include elements like potassium, folate and Vitamin C as well as the naturally occurring sugars

 
Indeed as juice bar franchises are a growing industry, along with the popularity of brands such as Innocent Smoothies, it seems the fruit and fruit puree will be a good base for your startup. However, to standout in the crowd, you will need to differentiate yourself in the market.
 
This is where JC Dudley will allow you to focus on your business idea and will steer you with our expertise.
 
This is the service available to you:

• You will use a selection of accredited suppliers
• You will be offered a ‘just in time level of service’ from anywhere in the world so you can plan growth in your business
• You will be given technical support, logistical support throughout your journey with us
• You will receive reliable, competitive, innovative and strategic options from more than one origin.

And as your business grows and changes with the tastes and trends, at JC Dudley, our team is here to help you create bespoke products using a wide range of fruit purees from around the world.

Are you looking for a food ingredients company that provide you with the ingredients you need for your products?
Do you want to use ingredients that are sustainable, don’t have a devastating impact on the environment and whose growth and harvest can be sustained for the long term?
JC Dudley are a sustainable food procurement company that can help provide you with the sustainable ingredients you need.
 
We are collectively looking at ways to change our food and drink industry to one that is more substantial and sustainable and JC Dudley are looking to play a part in it. The change in climate, the market and spiralling costs have meant that suppliers, like us have started to work even closer with partners at each stage of the supply chain, to ensure that everything is being done to decrease any negative environmental impacts that processes within the industry may have.
 
JC Dudley provides companies with fruit concentrates, fruit purees and powders so that you can develop your products to sell throughout your industry.
We also provide a number of services to businesses once you start selling your products:

• The team at JC Dudley can help you get your products into the industry marketplace in a considered and cost effective manner. We also provide practical advice about new product development.

 

• As part of our services we provide logistical support to assist you in delivering your products to their desired locations and in doing so, ensure that the process has as little an impact on the environment as possible.

 
JC Dudley are a sustainable food procurement company that help you obtain the sustainable ingredients you need for your products and then help you with the marketing and logistical aspects of selling your product in a sustainable and environmentally friendly manner.
If you would like more information on how JC Dudley can provide you with the sustainable food ingredients you need, contact us today on: 01494 792 839.

Global weather patterns have affected many fruits and vegetables this year.  We can all remember the newsworthy courgette shortage in Spain due to late snow and frost obliterating the crop and subsequent absence from the supermarkets.  This was only the beginning of difficult growing conditions across Europe, but also in other parts of the world too. 

The worst affected IQF fruits are currently:

• Strawberry
• Redcurrant
• Plum
• Rhubarb
• Sour Cherry
• Sweet Cherry
• Blackberry
• Raspberry

With the European apple harvest soon underway, most varieties also seem to be affected which will result in a shorter than normal crop. 
The result has obviously seen price rises for raw material, and subsequent cost increases for the IQF, puree and juice markets. 
JC Dudley are well placed with their network of suppliers to try and source customer IQF Fruit and Vegetable requirements. You can visit the website http://www.jcdudley.co.uk/fruit.html
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So you are looking for a fruit juice company, you want to develop a range of fresh fruit juices for your clients and want to find a company that can help you achieve your goals?

JC Dudley are a food ingredients supplier and fruit juice company that can help you do just that.

Our Fruit Juice Company

We work closely with all our clients at every part of the supply chain. This ensures they receive the information they need to effectively market the products they receive from us, whether they are fruit juices, fruit powders or purees.

We work with companies from manufacturing, retail and the food service sectors of the food and drink industry.

What Services Do JC Dudley, Fruit Juice Company Offer Companies?

We provide you with practical advice for marketing to international and national processors and we help by advising partners on how to take new products to the marketplace, assisting them with market development and penetration.

We provide advice for NPD colleagues and provide them with access to representative samples & data sheets, this helps them with quick turnarounds.

We have a team that provide technical support to our business partners, and our team also provide logistical support. This helps our partners optimise the supply chain and also minimise the financial and environmental costs.

We provide our partners with sensible, competitive and strategic options whilst ensuring that the quality is never compromised.

We have people that support your sales and purchasing departments and will dedicate their time to solving problems in practical and efficient ways.

If you would like more information on JC Dudley, or are interested in the services we offer, contact us today. Call JC Dudley on: 01494 792 875 or fill out our contact form.