StyleNest chat to founder of Bobo’s Juicery, Joanna Symes to find out the secret behind juicing and how best to get your five a day without having to physically consume five a day. Wave goodbye to lethargy and say hello a whole new lease of life with Bobo’s Juicery. 

You have had a colourful life, living in Somerset, London and also Las Vegas. Where do you call home?

Definitely London. For me it is the most interesting city in the world. The choice of food is fantastic, the culture is both beautiful and ground breaking, and for the largest city in Europe, we all get on very well in such a diverse melting pot of nationalities, which also gives London something of an edge over other world cities.

Before entering the world of juicing, you had a career in fashion, film as well as working in property and at Goldman Sachs. Can you tell are readers a little bit about your journey?

I was always crazy about fashion growing up in the country, reading Vogue and anything I could get my hands on. I couldn’t wait to leave school and went to Bath one day and came home with a job at Benetton. I carried on studying for my A level’s at night as well as working – I never chose the easy route alas. After working my way up to become a buyer at a designer store in Bath, a recession at the time made me evaluate my career path and I decided to study full time at London University for a Finance Degree. A career in the City at various companies such as Aon Reinsurace and Visa International followed, as well as at Goldman Sachs, where I worked on the Equities trading floor. I fell in love, as all girls do, and followed my heart to live with a glamorous older English TV producer who based himself in Las Vegas. When the relationship did not work out I became terribly homesick, and moved back to London. A friend asked me to go to interview at a busy property company in Kensington & Chelsea while I decided what to do next. I enjoyed Central London property so much that I ended up staying in the property business for the next 15 years.

A demanding work schedule and fast-paced way of life took its toll on your health and thus Bobo’s Juicery was born. Can you tell us a little bit about how you first discovered juicing?

Burning the candle at both ends is very easy to do in your 20’s. However, the 60 hour work weeks, late nights and drinking plenty of alcohol and not eating well really began to take their toll on my immune system during my 30’s. I developed a number of frightening ashthma like symptoms due to food allergies as well as anemia and chronic fatigue and my lifestyle did not help whatsoever. With the help of Dr Susan Oaten, a nutritional therapist who put me on the right track to changing my diet, if not my lifestyle, I started to juice at home as I did not have time to cook and eat 2kg of fruit and veg in one sitting. The great thing about eating healthily is that you lose the palate for sugary snacks and alcohol and your body starts to crave more nutritional foods that are like medicine to your system.

Juicing and detoxing has become very popular and thankfully looks set to replace fad diets, what sets Bobo’s Juicery apart from all the rest?

Our taste. Our secret is our combination of ingredients, which in vegetable juice can be challenging for some until they get used to drinking them. I created BoBo’s to help other busy people. We also grow some of our own organic produce in our gardens in Somerset, we bottle our juice in the safest ethical plastic bottle available to limit your intake of toxins from constantly drinking from plastic, and our nutritionist is also an experienced Doctor. All of these things set us apart as an intelligent and forward thinking juice company that is in it for the long term and not just on the juice of the moment band wagon.

Can you tell our readers a little bit about the Bobo’s juice range and what to expect?

We initially created 6 flavours: 1 smoothie and 5 cold pressed organic juices: 2 fruit based, which include for example, ‘Worn Out’ where we add chia seeds and maca to increase energy; 3 more vegetable based flavours – ‘A Bit of Ruff(age)’ which includes a little fruit as well as kale and cucumber, and ‘Feels So Raw’ and ‘Detox Dandy’, which are super healthy as the cold pressed nutrients flood straight into your bloodstream. Within half an hour of drinking them you really feel the effects of 2kg of organic vegetables and fruit lifting your spirits.

We have just launched 3 new smoothie flavours as we find people run out of the door to work without breakfast, and the choices they make at the beginning of the day determine their food intake for the next 10-12 hours. So we have created ‘Rhubarb Couture’, ‘The Brazilian’ and ‘Black Mamba’ to accompany the existing banana & buckwheat smoothie, ‘Mind Blowing’ which are all perfect breakfast or pre/post work out drinks.

What’s the best way to cleanse and shift a few pounds healthily before bikini season?

We do not push ‘cleanses’ and whilst they are great once in a while, especially during bikini panic season, incorporating one or two organic cold pressed juices into your daily diet, rather than eating less healthy snacks is more important to overhaul your diet.  If you are planning a juice cleanse start with a 3-5 day cleanse of between 6-12 juices and you will feel the positive effects of clear skin, renewed energy and certainly a shift of a few pounds or more that will make you feel lighter, healthier and more confident to hit the beach.

You now live in London, where are your favourite spots to eat, drink and shop around town?

I love exploring places to eat in East London, it’s such a vibrant and interesting area to explore and Broadway Market on a Saturday is fantastic followed by brunch at Bistrotheque which is delicious. I also like an old school table cloth and you will often find me with friends in Café Colbert and Cecconi’s, which both have consistent good service and food. For clothes I love to shop at Dover Street Market, Selfridges and Celestine Eleven, which also sells books and new exclusive perfumes and I always love a trip to Liberty’s for cutting edge new designers, delicious new fragrances and inspiration.

When you are not busy working what do you enjoy doing to unwind and relax?

I have been practising yoga since University and love to go to Jivamukti yoga in Kensal Road, W10.  It has world class teachers and the ashtaga sequences are set to music – dance, classical and even hip hop which all works well with the movements.  Not drinking means I rarely hang out in bars these days and so love that you can visit Tate Modern late on Friday’s and I also enjoy seeing new theatre at The Royal Court, The Barbican, National Theatre & the Donmar.

For readers new to juicing, what’s the best way to get started?

Really easy.  You can either buy our juices online and email or call us with any questions and we can deliver to your home or office so that you always have something healthy in the fridge when you are hungry instead of reaching for a chocolate bar. Or you can buy at one of our stockists:  The Grocer on Elgin Crescent, W11, The Grocery, Kingsland Road, E2, Celestine Eleven, EC2, St Clements, New Kings Road, SW6 & Patridges, Sloane Square, SW3.

For those skeptics out there, can you tell us the real benefits of juicing?

Drinking organic cold pressed juice gives a rush of nutrients to your blood stream and if you are feeling tired, concerned about your health or continuing to follow a healthy diet, you can easily drink 7-10 servings of fruit and vegetables a day without the mess and time hassle of cooking.

We love your organic and naural branding, what was the inspiration behind this?

Thank you. We wanted to make health fun so I took inspiration for the branding from my past when I was in a punk band – before I got serious. The punk colours are black, white and pink and we kept this aesthetic, rebelling against processed and unhealthy foods. The BoBo’s logo was actually inspired by a rock candy sweet, which you can eat and find at any British seaside. The logo keeps the spirit of a British company, but is the antithesis of eating white sugar.

What should one consider before doing a detox?

A great idea is to keep a food diary the week before you decide to detox. We all have a secret eating life and often eat more than we think.  However, we cannot go through life beating ourselves up and all deserve a few treats.  Giving up smoking and drinking of course is the best way to tackle a detox head on, and getting professional help to do this can also make a real difference to changing your life.  I won’t say give up coffee completely, as there are health benefits of drinking 1-2 cups of good coffee a day. However, caffeine drinks are generally not good for your health and can affect your heart rhythms when drunk in larger quantities.

Do you have you have any guilty pleasures? (we won’t tell….our secret)

A few. I have overcome the white sugar cravings but it was the hardest thing I have done.  I still like a square of dark chocolate after supper whilst watching Made In Chelsea on E4, it helps me to switch off after a very busy day.

What is your daily regime?

In the week, I wake up at 6am-6.30am.  I have tried to go to the gym at this time as I know it is the best way to set you up for the day, but personally I absolutely hate it.

I am hungry as soon as I open my eyes and apparently that is a good sign that your metabolism is working well.  I drink a bottle of BoBo’s ‘A Bit of Ruff(age)’ juice which is a gentle mix of a little fruit with mainly vegetables. I then usually make a gluten free porridge with water and some sultanas, shredded coconut & chia seeds sprinkled on top and add some seasonal fruit.

I go to the juice kitchens first thing to set up the team for the day, to go through the delivery schedules and check all aspects of quality control and produce before I set off on deliveries, which I do the majority of myself as I am used to driving all over London. Millie, my assistant helps me from the office with any last minute orders, as we try to accommodate as many requests as possible for our customers and our stockists.

Lunch is often a ‘Feels So Raw’ green veg only juice and something that the kitchen has made during their recipe testing that morning. Their Lebanese inspired raw wraps with collard greens are especially delicious. I run out of the door with a piece of raw hemp seed flapjack and spend the afternoons either with Millie at the office going through marketing and strategy or at meetings with potential suppliers, growers of produce and new clients.

I tend to work and feel my best after lunch so the afternoons and early evenings are a productive time for me work wise. I try my best to finish work by 7pm and love to grab a yoga class at Jivamukti in Notting Hill or Triyoga in Chelsea near my home. If I find I have enough energy I will go to a spin class or bodypump which is good to keep your bone density and gives me strength in my arms for the more difficult yoga moves.  I will drink a Mind Blowing smoothie after the class as I can’t wait for supper on the drive home! Dinner tends to be vegetable soup or quinoa with roasted vegetables if I am at home by myself or when I catch up with friends.  There are an increasing number of healthy things to choose from on restaurant menus these days, so there is no excuse!  I have no trouble sleeping, by 11pm I am fast asleep and needing as much REM as possible for another busy day ahead.

For more information visit www.bobosjuicery.com