Katya Maia (left) and her partners Sophie Lei and Abbi Mitchell-Morley
With Macau’s increasing economic development, residents are looking for a higher quality of life and a healthier lifestyle. This is evident in the popularity of Greens Kitchen and Juicery, a takeaway shop on Calçada de Santo Agostinho that sells organic and fresh food produce and juice.
Katya Maia, one of the shop’s founders, told the Times that even though they are still in the soft opening phase, the initial response from the public has been promising.
“So far, the response has been amazing. We have a lot of people coming every day, especially at lunchtime. There are a lot of offices around here. So it’s really good for all these people from offices to come and grab something quick and healthy and eat something conveniently,” she said.
Apart from walk-in customers, they also take orders over the phone so patrons can drive by and pick up take away. Katya said that the drive-by service is provided in accordance with their mission to make a healthy diet convenient for people.
Moreover, Katya said that one of their most popular products is the juice detox package. “It is a detox program [in which] you only drink juice all day long. It’s something very new in Macau and we are very proud to be the revolutionary in this area,” she said.
Katya said her shop is divided into two departments: one is responsible for food while the other focuses on juice. The store offers different kinds of food, such as sandwiches, soup and baked foods, both gluten-free and vegan.
“We [recommend that] people be more concerned about what they eat,” she said.
She revealed that making and selling sandwiches was not in their initial plan. “We didn’t even think about doing the sandwiches in the first place… But then we bought a grill and [our] sandwiches became very popular because it is something quick and warm to grab,” Katya said. Due to the unexpected popularity, Greens Kitchen and Juicery will develop a line of grilled sandwiches with different fillings.
While she admitted that their products are “slightly pricey” compared to ordinary restaurants, Katya said they’re worth the price. “One bottle of our juice has three oranges and two carrots. It’s a lot of produce inside one bottle of juice. Also, all our dry ingredients are organic, which is usually more pricey,” she explained.
But Katya said that it is difficult to find organic ingredients in Macau and the supply is limited, meaning that only their dry products are organic. She said that they are contacting different suppliers in Southeast Asia, and she hopes that most of their offerings can be organic in the future.
When asked about future developments for their shop, Katya said they plan to offer classes. “We have a second floor where we have a table and an area. And we are very excited to share our knowledge, and also to invite people in Macau […] to share their knowledge and experience. So this is also going to be a big part of what we do: educating people and sharing our knowledge. It is not only about us just making money and opening a shop. We really want to promote a healthier lifestyle,” she said. She revealed that they are considering opening a second shop where people can sit down and enjoy their food in a relaxed manner.
When it comes to business operations, Katya has sometimes found it difficult to deal with the Macau government as a non-Chinese speaker. “We have three partners, two of us don’t speak Chinese. It has been challenging because sometimes it is difficult to deal with some bureaucratic [issues] without speaking Chinese. So that’s a bit of a challenge,” she said.
Also, she thinks that more support from the government is needed in terms of sustainable packaging and recycling. “We are a takeaway show, which means we pack everything. We are really concerned with recycling everything we use,” she said.
The grand opening of Greens Kitchen and Juicery will be on October 20. Katya Maia said that they will prepare some product samples for people to try.
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