Blog #11 The Subtle Bouquet of Pear Juice

“Dear Mrs. Dorfman,” the ordinary sounding e-mail started. I knew immediately it was from a stranger as nobody that knows me calls me, Mrs. Dorfman because I don’t like being called Mrs. Dorfman. Maybe if I had a cool last name like Starfish or Ravenhurst: but it was not to be. I digress. The e-mail continued.

The writer went on to compliment me on my work with children, etc. etc. and as a result of my interest in the well being of children, she thought I would want to know about her new very yummy organic pear juice. Perhaps, she continued, I would even be willing to taste and comment on it.

It was a request for a product endorsement! This will be so much fun, I thought. The product is certified organic, which is particularly important for products utilizing pears and apples. Both are on the dirty dozen list of produce with the most pesticides (See: www.ewg.org.) Pears are also low in salicylates, which makes this juice a better choice for children with hyperactivity. Finally, pears juice is less sweet than apple juice. Apple juice has about 28 grams of sugar per 8 oz. serving while pear juice has 20 grams. The only problem is that I am not much of a juice fan unless it is green or purple and comes out of my Vitamixer. Still, I recognize the need for healthier drinks for kids and in small amounts, it could be a good choice.

“Absolutely, send some,” I enthusiastically replied.

A few weeks later, the juice arrived. It was in a plastic bottle which is not optimal but is admittedly more practical when small children are involved. I opened it up and took a sip. It tasted just like…..pear juice. It was good, as promised, and sufficiently, peary. I detected no subtle undercurrent of wildflowers or hints of honeybee pollen, not that I could if they were present.

What is there to say about pear juice? “Not too sweet,” would not fly as an endorsement. Maybe, “If you like pears, this is just like them.” Or, “For busy moms who do not have time to juice their own pears….”

Maybe the lady will not get back to me, I hoped fervently. Within days she did and wanted to know if I could comment on her product for her website.

“What am I going to say?” I asked my ever helpful assistant, Tania.

“Maybe if you mixed it with tequila, that would spruce it up,” she offered. “You could call it a Peargarita.”

It probably would make a good Peargarita and would still be low in salicylates. However, the target audience is a different age group.

I was determined to come up with something useful. I like the idea of helping a small independent food entrepreneur. Producing high quality food is a lot of work and there is not enough of it. My husband is the juice drinker in the house, so I asked him to taste it.

“This is really tasty,” he remarked taking a large swig. I leaned forward excitedly.

“What’s so good about it?” I asked nonchalantly.

“Well, it is not too sweet,” he said drinking some more, “and it is very flavorful. I like it.”

I ran back to my computer and started typing. “GoGo Juice is a good choice if you are looking for a pure, flavorful lower sugar juice,” I wrote. It is short, to the point and true. I think it is a GoGo.