Context
At the origin of Unaju are Marion Gaudicheau, François Delmas Saint Hilaire and Franck Latrille, 3 engineers who founded the Manufacture Bordeaux in 2015. They offer finely sparkling organic natural juices made from rigorously selected fruits and plants . These natural drinks are made with a single aspiration: to find the perfect match between the fruit and the plant. The Manufacture was born out of the observation that there was no healthy and natural alternative to industrial sodas.
Project
Behind Unaju, there is no industrial process: the fruit is picked in the region going from the Southwest of France to the south of Lyon. Even the 20 cl glass bottles are made near the Girondin capital, at La Réole. So throughout the seasons, you have the leisure to taste grapes, apples, lemon, strawberries and pears. Today, there are also ultra seasonal flavors such as white peach and apricot. And all the recipes are imagined in their workshop in Bordeaux. These drinks are available in the Biocoops of Nouvelle-Aquitaine.
The manufacturing process
The fruits bought from local producers are crushed, then pressed in a very traditional way in their small room on rue Roger Touton in Bordeaux. The juice obtained is then clarified with clay (neutral, the same as that used for the production of organic wines) to obtain a clear juice, to which is added a little filtered water.
The liquid obtained is finally sent to a subcontractor in the region who is responsible for pasteurization (which allows the final product to be free of any preservative), gasification (according to precise specifications) and bottling process. Sodas are of course without coloring. They also hope to develop a flash code system that allows the customer to know the origin of the fruits used in the drink and the producer who cultivated them.
Soft drinks change according to the seasons. In June the strawberries are pressed in their small workshop, located in the city center, followed by the grapes in September, then the lemons in November and December.
"We found a passionate lemon producer who lives in the Landes and who offers very old and very fragrant varieties,"
enthuses Marion Gaudicheau
In winter, drinks will be made from pears and apples.
"We want to operate as in wine with vintages with each harvest."
Marion Gaudicheau
Strawberries and apples come from sustainable agriculture and come respectively from Aiguillon (Lot-et-Garonne) and Saint-Vincent-de-Pertignas in the Gironde.
The Little Extra
For deliveries in Bordeaux city center, the couple acquired a scooter to limit their carbon footprint, and thus remain committed to protect the environment.
Written by Claire Caillaud, volunteer LFC - June 2019.
Last modification : 06 Apr 2020.
Manufacture Bordeaux
Unaju, a young start-up that has been manufacturing and marketing sparkling natural drinks since 2015.