Smoothie operation

MANILA, Philippines - The most tangible difference between a shake and a smoothie is texture. While a shake is wont to contain varying sizes of ice bits, a smoothie is evenly textured, velvety and smooth. Still, not all smoothies are the same. “When you order a shake from a popular juice or smoothie joint, you might get a sugar and dairy-filled beverage that contains hardly any fruits,” says Jonathan Kui, owner of Mondo Juice. “An outstanding smoothie is a made from fruits and/or vegetables, making it a vitamin- and mineral-packed drink.”

The 24-year-old Jonathan knows whereof he speaks. After a stint at the University of British Columbia in Canada subsisting mainly on fast food meals, the economics graduate resolved to seriously adopt a healthier diet upon returning to the Philippines. Through a venture called Mondo Juice, for which he enlisted the expertise of nutritionists, he hopes to provide a healthier alternative to satisfying consumers’ sweet tooth and keeping customers refreshed at the same time.

“Mondo Juice smoothies don’t hide behind cream, sugar, artificial syrups and a host of other fillers,” says the young entrepreneur. “Only premium-grade fruits from Europe, North America and the Philippines make it into a Mondo smoothie. A 22-ounce Mondo container contains 1/3 pound or the recommended five servings of fruit per day.”

A process called Individual Quick Freeze (IQF) that freezes fruits at low temperatures of negative 30 to negative 40 degrees Celsius ensures that the excellent quality of the fresh fruit is preserved. “The quick-freezing method process forms extremely small crystals of ice and leaves the fruits perfectly intact,” Jonathan explains. “This means that virtually all the properties of the fruit including color and aroma are maintained. In comparison, if the ordinary freezing process is used, large ice crystals form. These alter and destroy both texture and cellular structure of the fruit.”

The IQF method also allows the fruits to retain their original sweetness and eliminates the need to preserve fruit in syrup, which drives up sugar content of the smoothies. “If you ask me, I’d say that a smoothie is your best bet for getting value for money. Mondo smoothies are made with enough premium-grade frozen fruit to fill an entire cup when blended,” Jonathan continues. “In comparison, a shake filled with sugar, milk and crushed ice will not have nearly as many health benefits, and would probably add pounds and extra inches to your waistline.”  

The beverages are carefully blended so that flavor is a primary consideration. “While we aim to be healthy, people will not like it if it isn’t good,” admits Jonathan. And although Mondo currently carries over 15 unique smoothie flavors, new variants are constantly being developed and tested — mainly on the owner’s family and friends.

For health buffs that want to boost the nutritional content of their smoothies even more, powdered additives can be incorporated into the drinks. These come with easy-to-remember names: Bolt (with ginseng and gingko biloba to restore energy, maintain a healthy immune system and improve concentration and alertness); Skinny (with lecithin and ginseng to help you stay trim by speeding up metabolism); Core (with calcium citrate for strong bones and teeth); and Think! (with gingko biloba and lecithin for memory and C-Buster with Echinacea and rose hip to help the symptoms of cold and flu). There are other nutritive powders that you can try out. Wheatgrass juice is touted to have numerous health benefits and is also available, as are tasty and healthy sandwiches and desserts.

“The most popular smoothie flavors are Summer Strawberry, Green Tea Buzz, Berry Blitz, Raspberry Rush and Mango Magic,” says the store staff. On our last visit to the Mondo Juice store in SM Megamall, we tried the Berry Blitz smoothie made with blueberries, blackberries, cranberry juice and low-fat yoghurt. The dark-blue drink was tangy with just the right amount of sweetness, while the tiny seeds of the berries added pleasant texture to the drink. With a tasty chicken Caesar sandwich, it was substantial enough for a light and guilt-free meal.

The clean, bright, cheerful and modern look of the store makes it visually agreeable, and there were promising food choices in the menu to sample next time — carrot cake, turkey pesto and Asian BBQ sandwich. In addition, what was most pleasing was the reasonable pricing. Mondo makes the decision to “Buy Filipino” so much easier.

Mondo Juice is at the fourth level, Bridgeway SM Megamall, Second Level SM North Edsa Annex, Skywalk Alimall and Ground Level SM Mall of Asia.