Life has always been an adventure for Maggie Miller, a single mother who migrated to Newcastle in 2009, despite having never heard of Merewether Beach or ever walked down Hunter Street. Maggie began studying a Bachelor of Commerce/ Bachelor of Law after packing up her two young daughters and moving halfway across the world from the Philippines to the Steel City. “I didn’t know a single person when I arrived in Australia – it was just me and my two baby girls,” remembers Maggie. “We had a good life in the Philippines, but I needed to find my identity and make my way, so I moved on my own and became a student – it was a crazy time!”
Despite dreaming of becoming a lawyer, whilst studying Maggie noticed her youngest daughter, Sydney, wasn’t reaching her milestones and knew something wasn’t right. “After extensive testing and investigating why Sydney wasn’t thriving, she was diagnosed with multiple medical conditions – the biggest being a rare genetic condition where she has mutations in her genes,” explains Maggie. “I received a call from the genetics place in Waratah and they said she is the only person in the entire world with this specific condition – to me, Sydney is just extra special.”
“I wanted to supplement her tiny body while she was on medication, and I saw her improve after adding cold pressed juices to her diet. Her skin became clearer, she put on weight, and she was happier and content.”
Study took a back seat, while Maggie navigated her daughter’s busy medical world of speech pathology, behavioural therapy, OT, psychology and so on. Maggie also stumbled across the unexpected benefits of cold press juicing to boost Sydney’s immune system and supplement her diet. “Being a toddler it was a struggle to get Sydney to eat real food but I needed to feed my daughter properly with vitamins, minerals and fresh food so that’s when I started my research into juice,” says Maggie. “I wanted to supplement her tiny body while she was on medication, and I saw her improve after adding cold pressed juices to her diet. Her skin became clearer, she put on weight, and she was happier and content.”
Maggie bought herself a commercial juicer and started making her juices at home. She experimented with flavours and fruit and vegetable combinations and decided to hit the books once again, but this time completing her Masters in Human Nutrition and Health Science and taking courses on cold press juicing. “It really opened my eyes to the specific formulas of healthy juicing and how to maximise the nutritional benefits,” says Maggie.
“You can’t just throw anything in your juicer! For example, turmeric is amazing for you, but to really utilise the goodness, you need to activate it with black pepper. For things like beetroot, which is very earthy, you need to balance that with carrots for sweetness and add lemon and ginger for cleansing goodness.”
News of Maggie’s delicious concoctions travelled fast amongst her friends, and soon she had a strong following of customers lining up to try her wholesome drinks. “I had a friend who wanted to lose weight and I had studied the juice detox method, so she tried my juice for about three months after I created a specific plan for her, and she lost over 30 kilos,” says Maggie. But Maggie is quick to point out that drinking The Honest Juice isn’t a replacement for medical advice and it isn’t a quick health fix, either. “For weight loss, you need the determination to change your habits. I can give you the healthiest juice in the world but at the end of the day, it’s really your decision to change your diet and path to good health. My juice is an added boost to pump the body with nutrition, especially for those with underlying health conditions.”
“For weight loss, you need the determination to change your habits. I can give you the healthiest juice in the world but at the end of the day, it’s really your decision to change your diet and path to good health.”
So why cold press juice? Maggie explains that it’s juicing without using heat – which is how most commercially produced juice is made. Any food which is prepared under 43 degrees is considered raw food, and this is when the nutritional value and vitamins are retained most. Using a juicer that runs off 30-40 RDM, means the fruit and veggies Maggie juices are never heated- so the food is as close to its natural state as possible when it hits your glass. “I use the slowest juicer in the world!” laughs Maggie. “But it means the ingredients I juice are in their premium state with amazing nutritional value.”
Maggie grew her business to supply over 17 Newcastle cafes, including Blue Door, Tallulah’s and Estabar. With two more children added to her brood, plus four adopted and foster children, Maggie remembers getting just two hours of sleep a night to make her busy life work. “I would start at midnight and set up my iPad with some silly Pilipino Netflix shows and just juice away until the morning. Then I would get the kids ready for school and do deliveries,” says Maggie. “I loved doing it and supplying those amazing cafes, but I was exhausted, and I wanted my business to return to why I first started making juices – to help people.”
After making the tough decision to stop supplying cafes, Maggie took stock. “I originally made my juices for parents, like me, who were worried sick about their kids because they have a medical or health condition,” says Maggie. “So, I changed direction and began working as a Natural Therapy Juice Practitioner, having consultations with a range of people with different needs. Some have illnesses like cancer, some are immune-suppressed, some need to detox and some just need a health boost, so I support them on their health journeys. I’ve juiced for the Newcastle Knights, Willy Mason and other high-profile people and it’s a pleasure to supply them with my homemade product that I make in my little juice kitchen at home.”
“I originally made my juices for parents, like me, who were worried sick about their kids because they have a medical or health condition… Some have illnesses like cancer, some are immune-suppressed, some need to detox and some just need a health boost, so I support them on their health journeys.”
Maggie tests all her products on her kids and says her Super Sunshine juice is the hands-down favourite amongst her tribe. “My boys think it’s just orange juice. They have no idea it’s full of ginger, lemon and turmeric and all the good stuff or they wouldn’t drink it!” laughs Maggie. “I’ve had a very happy past year as I remarried. Adrian is extremely supportive and helps me so much in the business that I’ll have to start calling him ‘The Juice Man’!” The happy pair also run a successful catering business and plan to franchise The Honest Juice, with family in Melbourne- being the first to open another outlet of the juicing brand.
Despite cutting up and juicing litres of carrots, apples, and oranges each day whilst playing mum to a busy crew of children, Maggie also launched a charity during the first Covid lockdown in March 2020. “I started Project TWO with ATUNE Health Centres, as a way of supporting vulnerable members of our Newcastle community – the elderly and the immuno-suppressed,” explains Maggie. “People can sponsor those in need of an immune system boost and we’ll make my nutrient-dense juice for them. For every juice pack you buy through Project TWO, The Honest Juice donates two bottles to those in need. I’ve made juices for people in ICU and NICU at John Hunter Hospital and it’s a great feeling delivering them.”
The future for The Honest Juice certainly looks fresh and there’s no slowing down for Maggie. “It’s so rewarding when I get calls from clients saying that after drinking my juice they feel good in themselves,” says Maggie. “Cold pressed juice is just another way of utilising real, fresh food to improve our health -it helped my daughter and that motivates me to help others too.”
Words: Odette Tonkin | Photography: Zoë Lonergan
As seen in Swell Issue 13.
