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Juice from the heart

AMSTERDAM - Wander into Jay’s Juices on Haarlemmerstraat and you’re unlikely to wander out again with just a drink. That’s because the owner, Jay Garrido, is unlike most business owners.

Born in Aruba, Jay arrived in Amsterdam in 1978, aged 21. Unable to find fulfilling work, he became involved in drugs and alcohol, which deteriorated into almost two decades of addiction.

Crunch time came when Jay dreamt about his grandmother who showed him a white feather. “I started cycling around looking for the feather. People thought I’d flipped,” he says. “After three days, I came to a farm and found the feather on a rooster. The rooster turned round and sang to me [he makes a crowing sound]. I thought, look at him, he’s so happy. He doesn’t need anything. I’m abusing drugs, drinking, I’m not happy. I don’t want this anymore.”

With the help of a good friend, he set about getting his life back together and opened Jay’s Juices (“juices are the quickest way to clean the system”). Now in his fifties, he says he’s finally fulfilled, and spreads the love through his fresh drinks and, if customers come in looking down, a pep talk or a back massage.

The fruit and veg he uses are organic where possible and bought fresh from the market daily. The list of juices available is chalked up on a large red board behind the counter, with names like Arubariba, Sombrero and Rastafari Vibes that reflect his tropical roots. One of his big sellers is wheatgrass, which he grows himself in trays in the cellar underneath the shop.

The only solids on sale are bags of dehydrated fruits and Jay’s homemade energy balls, little sticky globes made from various fruits, nuts and seeds, sweetened with cacao and rolled in desiccated coconut.

Some customers might find Jay’s approach unorthodox. But judging by the number of regulars he has, each of whom he welcomes with a bellow of recognition, that’s also part of his charm.

Jay’s Juices (Haarlemmerstraat 14) is open Monday-Saturday 9am to 6pm. Juices cost €2.50-€6.00.

Posted in: Latest News, News
By Cecily Layzell, 16-12-2009