Urban Remedy

Product Type:Juice: Juice Drink; Container: 16oz Plastic
BevNET Review: Featuring only four ingredients (water, raspberries, chia seeds, and stevia), the flavor of this product is quite straightforward. It starts off with a tart and potent hit of raspberries followed by some chew from ground chia seeds before finally finishing up with some sweetness from the added stevia. The first two parts of this drink, the raspberries and the chia, are quite enjoyable, but the use of stevia is simply perplexing. For starters, it ruins the natural simplicity of the flavor, which is, at least for the rest of the raw juice category, the key differentiator in flavor for these products over more processed juices. Second, it does not make this a low calorie or carb product. So, why not just use more juice to sweeten the product? As it stands right now, we have a hard time believing that there is a market for a 230 calorie and 36g of carbs product that features stevia. From a visual and positioning point of view, we really like what they’ve done. Chia is a very timely ingredient, while raspberries are both a familiar flavor and something that give the product its bright pink/red color. However, we’re sure that some consumers will see this product and its presumably high price tag only to be disappointed by the stevia. Overall, we like the concept a lot, but its choice of ingredients is a big letdown. Reviewed on: 1/31/2013

Product Type:Juice: Juice Drink; Container: 16oz Plastic
BevNET Review: While we’ve probably made it pretty clear that we’re not fond of Urban Remedy’s use of stevia, this variety is as tolerable as they get. It’s made with water, cashews, ginger, vanilla, cardamom, cinnamon, nutmeg and stevia and, unlike some of their smoothie “meal” drinks, has a smooth body that isn’t too viscous. The flavor of the ginger and spices almost completely masks the stevia, although you can still taste it at the finish. It would most certainly be a significantly better product without the stevia. On the visual front, it’s a good looking product, with the name “Nourish” being a nice way of describing the purpose of this particular variety. However, we feel strongly that they need to mention the stevia on the front of the bottle. Overall, we again feel like Urban Remedy has taken what would be a very enjoyable product and diminished its potential by adding stevia. Reviewed on: 1/31/2013

Product Type:Juice: Juice Drink; Container: 16oz Plastic
BevNET Review: As far as green juices go, this is about as tame as they get thanks to cucumber and mint being where the green color comes from. In terms of flavor, this is another stevia free combination, with cucumber, mint, ginger, apple, and lemon being the only ingredients. The cucumber flavor is very much the dominant flavor, with the other flavors providing subtle notes in the background. That said, we’d like a bit more of them, especially the mint and ginger. Visually, this variety follows the same format as their other juice cleanse products. This time around, they’ve used a green accent color for the label, which, like on the other flavors, matches the color of the liquid. However, we can’t say that word “Flush” helps the overall appeal of the product (this being a food product, first and foremost). Otherwise, we think the aesthetic treatment of the logo and label have a nice blend of handmade and professional (although the application of the label could certainly use some improvement). Overall, a great start that could only be improved by enhanced positioning.Reviewed on: 1/31/2013

Product Type:Juice: Juice Drink; Container: 16oz Plastic
BevNET Review: The “Chocolate Banana” variety of Urban Remedy is, assuming by the word “meal” on the label, designed to be a meal replacement beverage. Despite the front of the bottle listing cacao, banana, sprouted protein powder, and almond milk, this product has a host of other ingredients, including xanthan gum, chia, vanilla, and stevia. The product pours way too thick, to the point where you almost have to coax it out of the bottle. Flavor starts out good, but the gummy body and the flavor of stevia totally kill the experience for us. While we understand the desire to cut calories and sugar, this is far from a low calorie product. In our opinion, sticking with a less processed formulation (aka lose the gums and stevia) would make this product much more enjoyable. On the outside, we like what they’ve done, with chocolate and banana being something that’s easy to understand and very marketable. Adding a mention of the product’s use of stevia (to warn buyers) and chia seeds (which should draw some buyers in) would be a good idea, in our opinion. Overall, we like the concept, but we don’t like the execution of what’s inside the bottle -- it seems to be straddling rather than committing. Reviewed on: 1/31/2013

Product Type:Juice: Juice Drink; Container: 16oz Plastic
BevNET Review: The “Braniac” formulation is the simplest and most straightforward flavor of the Urban Remedy line. It pairs cucumber, celery, spinach, parsley, and lemon to create something that has a light, but refreshing, vegetable flavors. They’ve done a really nice job with the balance of flavor in this one, with each of the flavors being distinguishable from the whole. This approach, rather than the stevia sweetened approach of their other flavors, is definitely what we’d like to see more of. On the outside, the product is, like what’s inside the bottle, straightforward. While the number one is to signal it’s place in the cleanse system that they’ve developed, the “Braniac” name seems like something that’s risky given all of the functional beverages that use similar language. Having a name that sums up the flavor would probably be more useful. In addition, calling out the use of organic and raw ingredients on the front panel would probably help avoid sticker shock if it’s being sold in a retail environment. Overall, one of their best efforts so far.Reviewed on: 1/31/2013

Product Type:Juice: Juice Drink; Container: 16oz Plastic
BevNET Review: Made with raw beets, carrot, ginger, apple, and lemon, this is one of the more straightforward flavors of the Urban Remedy lineup. The flavor is big on beet and carrot flavors, but the vegetable flavors and smooth and enjoyable. From there, the sweetness (from the beets and apples) kicks in, followed by some light ginger spice at the finish. All in all, this is one of the more enjoyable flavors of their lineup. Visually, we like the white label and its use of an accent color that’s almost identical to the liquid that’s inside the bottle. The branding has a minimalist hipster vibe to it, although we find the “After Party” and “No. 4” (referring to its part in a juice cleanse) to be somewhat of a distraction. Ultimately, you’re going to buy this for the fruits and vegetables that it contains, so giving those center stage seems like a better approach. However, we are fond of how they’ve placed the calorie content right on the front of the bottle. That’s a straightforward and honest approach that seems very much in line with what this product is all about. Overall, a very solid product from Urban Remedy.Reviewed on: 1/31/2013