Fresh-Squeezed for Decades

When citrus season rolls around, we’re all about oranges. Their vibrant color catches our eye in the produce department in the midst of a long, cold Midwest winter, and their sweet citrusy flavor rejuvenates our taste buds, giving us hope that spring is not too far away.

For the past 90 years, exceptional citrus has always been important to Heinen’s. Over time, our Produce experts have discovered countless varieties of oranges that have far exceeded what was available decades ago. Yet, no matter how many new varieties we come by, we know that few things beat a fresh glass of orange juice.

Paired with a hearty early morning breakfast, a delicious brunch or mixed with a splash of bubbly, this bright citrus drink is refreshing at any time of the day. That’s why we’ve been making our own fresh-squeezed orange juice for decades!

When we say fresh, we mean it! Our orange juice has been freshly squeezed in-store since we opened our second location on Taylor Road in 1933! Even back then, we were squeezing and bottling fresh orange juice daily and bringing it directly to the Produce Department for our customers to enjoy. With 23 stores today, our commitment to providing fresh squeezed orange juice remains the same, but with a little help from testing and technology, our juice has only gotten better.

The process for juicing oranges starts with ensuring that each piece of citrus is of the best quality. Our associates start by sanitizing the oranges and testing them on the Brix scale. This allows us to accurately gauge the sugar content of each piece of fruit to ensure that it is optimal for juicing.

Once we determine that the fruit meets our standards, the real magic happens with our juicers! Anyone who has attempted fresh-squeezed juice at home knows that it can be a time consuming and strenuous effort. At Heinen’s, we have automated juicers in each of our stores, which makes the process of slicing and squeezing simple without affecting the fresh taste of the final product. In fact, within the last 5 years, all of our machines have been enhanced with the ability to eliminate peel oil from the juice too, making each glass even smoother.

We’ve not only grown in our use of technology, we’ve also grown in variety. While we stay true to our tradition of using the classic Florida Valencia oranges for our juice, when citrus season rolls around, we simply can’t resist fresh-squeezing a few of our favorite seasonal varieties, like the Blood Orange Juice that debuted for a limited time last February. This year, Blood Orange Juice is making a repeat appearance along with our brand new Cara Cara Orange Juice as a part of Heinen’s annual Zest Fest Celebration.

Although citrus season may only be a few months long, we’ve been celebrating fresh-squeezed citrus since our beginning, and our commitment to giving you juice that tastes as fresh as if you had squeezed it at home has never changed.

Looking to get a taste of the freshness? Join us at our annual Heinen’s Zest Fest at all Cleveland and Chicago locations on February 22nd and 23rd and March 2nd and 3rd . We’ll even have our juicers out in the Produce Department so that you can see, taste and take home our traditional and limited time fresh-squeezed juices!