Anuj Rakyan is the founder and MD of RAW Pressery.  His interests in health and fitness got him to launch India’s first truly healthy, “All Good. No Bad” brand of cold-pressed juices. With RAW Pressery, he aims to address the scarcity of honest and transparent products in India. He is a graduate from Duke University, North Carolina and has worked as an investment banker in the past. He loves to travel and enjoys adventure sports.

Tell us about your most favourite food and who’s most favourite chef? 

Hands down my favourite food has to be Mum’s dal chawal. No guessing who my favorite chef is! Her food is made with love. It’s food for the soul.

Share with us an interesting anecdote from your travels. 

I had made a trip to Tuscany once, where I had the privilege of spending an entire week at a castle. The landscape was breath-taking. Our in-house chef at the castle was this old Italian mamma, called Agatha. It was beautiful to see how she would pick fresh local produce and combine it with herbs, spices and olive oil to make the best Italian food I had ever had. It was an incredible experience to taste the farm fresh food prepared with affection and care.

Do you consider yourself a foodie? What’s your most favourite cuisine of all times?

There’s no sincerer love than the love for food, said George Bernard Shaw. I can’t call myself a foodie but I love indulging and exploring new cuisines and preparations from around the world and they’ve got to be vegetarian!

My most favourite cuisine of all times is Italian. Balance of flavour and the choice of fresh ingredients are the core of real Italian food. It’s something that can make me go back for a second helping.

Tell us something about Raw Pressery. What inspired you to start it?

RAW Pressery is India’s first and largest cold pressed juice brand. We’ve been in business since January 2014 and haven’t looked back ever since. RAW was carved out of a personal need to create a beverage that is healthy and tasty. I wanted to create something that mothers would feel happy giving to their kids. It’s tough to eat all the veggies and fruits everyday consistently so juicing is the best alternative. I realized that good health could begin with a simple bottle of juice! I was once in my kitchen with a Norwalk cold-press juicer splattering carrots all over the ceiling. Enter RAW Pressery.

My inspiration was addressing some simple questions:

• Why does being healthy have to be so complicated?
• Do we believe the health claims marketed by the big food companies?
• Is there any beverage brand you can really trust to be honest and healthy?

Which is your most favourite Raw Pressery drink and why?

TRIM. Nothing tastes better than fresh greens that we might miss out consuming. FOMO! (fear of missing out)

How do you like to unwind after a hard day at work?

I start by consciously turning off the technology. It’s quite a stress buster. For me the best way to unwind after a stressful day at work is when I can jump right into my Calisthenics routine. Post which a dinner with my family and close friends would be amazing.

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What do you love the most about Mumbai?

(smiles) Its people.

What is your fondest food-related memory from your childhood days?

My fondest memory is synonymous with food; revolving around my sister and Maggi. My friends and I would come back home after a night of partying and wake my sister up to make us her signature preparation of Maggie with baked beans and cheese. I think Maggi has been a part of all our childhood stories, bar none.

Do you cook? Share with us a recipe that you cook and take pride in! 

I don’t cook. But whenever I do, it’s usually breakfast. My friends love my preparation of Eggs Florentine. More than anything, I take a lot of pride in my abilities to make deliciously healthy juice mixes. Try this one, tell me if you like it:

1 juicy orange (peeled, with the pith on)

1 apple

½ banana

1 kiwi fruit

Ice (if you’d like)

Blend well and don’t add any sugar or water.

That’s how it should taste #allgoodnobad minus all the icky stuff!

Have you tried Holachef? How was your experience? 

I have tried Holachef. I love the fact that Holachef has diversity in the cuisines it has to offer. There are so many options to choose from. It’s the only portal online that has a separate set of meals catering to our breakfast, lunch, dinner and snack-time needs.