• Croatian-Slovenian foodtech startup Juicefast has raised €750K in a latest investment round
• €500K from the total sum comes from Croatian impact investment VC Feelsgood
• The startup develops technologically advanced production of natural detox juices and healthy meals
Juicefast will use the funds to improve the production of high-quality fruit and vegetable fasting juices and healthy meals and distribute their products to as many users as possible.
The investment has also helped Juicefast’s co-founders, brothers David and Marko Dravinec, to merge their two existing and separate business ventures (Detox.hr and “Zdravi obroci” (Healthy Meals in English – ed.note) into a new company registered in Slovenia, uniting their entrepreneurial experience.
“This large investment is a recognition for the individual results achieved so far, but also an incentive to continue building what we are best at under the new Juicefast brand. Our desire is to help people get rid of the increasingly prominent problem of obesity with our quality products and education. At the same time, we support local family farms from which we obtain most of the raw materials, and ultimately we take care of nature by composting production by-products,” Juicefast’s CEO David Dravinec said.
New method that preserves taste and nutrition
The startup’s team is made of a dozen young experts which turn the highest quality natural foods, fruits and vegetables into healthy meals and juices using the high hydrostatic pressure (HPP) processing process.
Unlike the classic pasteurization, the company says its method helps preserve the taste, colour, texture, enzymes and nutrients to the greatest extent possible, while also offering complete plans for fasting processes lasting from two or four weeks.
According to Feelsgood co-founder Dinko Novoselec, Juicefast’s products can play an important role in fighting the obesity epidemic.
“Their seemingly simple product can really contribute to the suppression of the epidemic of modern times – obesity, which has been further aggravated as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. We really liked the enthusiasm of the Dravinec brothers to help people, the local economy, and the environment in a measurable way. All these three areas at Feelsgood are extremely important to us, and we believe that Juicefast will truly become a well-known foodtech brand throughout Croatia, Slovenia, and beyond,” Novoselec emphasized.
Feelsgood VC has been developed entirely in Croatia, with a capital of approximately €30M and looks to invest in startups and promising companies in Croatia and Slovenia, which focus on making positive changes in societies and meet the UN’s global sustainable development goals.
