Known for its tasty strawberries and blueberries, Cottle Farms in Faison recently decided to dive into a new crop – muscadine grapes.
Owner Ron Cottle says his farm began growing the grapes because they’re an extremely healthy crop that not many people know about outside of the wine industry. He took advantage of the nutritional benefits by combining the grapes with his other fruits to create a brand new product, Juvn8 smoothies.
The smoothies use all three fruits, including the seeds, skin and pulp of the muscadines, for a great-tasting, antioxidant-packed drink. Cottle came up with the idea as a way to use the crops he had been wasting. The juices use the fruit that’s too ripe for grocery store shelves but still tastes good.
The smoothies have been on the market for about a year, and can be found in Lowes Foods, Food Lion, Ingles Markets and other stores across North Carolina. They’re also sold in several other southeastern states. Learn more at juvn8.com.
– Rachel Bertone
