Bringing the island taste to Canadians

Most Canadians probably haven’t heard of a calamansi, but a new juice from Toronto-based AllJuice Co. is expecting to change that. The citrus fruit, considered to be a staple in the Philippines, is the star ingredient in this all-natural juice that is touted to be “a little sweet, a little tart and completely refreshing.” St. Maarten Calamansi was developed primarily for the Filipino and Southeast Asian market where the fruit is cultivated, but company President Naz Notarfonzo says he expects it to gain further appeal. “It has such an original and refreshing character that we feel it will gain popularity among all consumers,” he says, adding that the goal is to build on the limeade/lemonade segment already popular with consumers. “We developed St. Maarten as a brand to focus on products uniquely characteristic to those found in the Philippines, Caribbean and Southeast Asia and we have always been motivated by selecting fruit juices that are popular in specific parts of the world that we feel have a transferrable quality to the Canadian market.” The juice was launched in Ontario this past June to coincide with the Dragon Boat Festival and Independence Day in the Philippines. It joins St. Maarten’s other juice products (all packed in 473ml bottles) Guava, Mango Carrot and Mango Papaya, but is the only one that also comes in a 1.75L fresh pack. St. Maarten Calamansi is available at select Ontario grocers and most Asian grocery retailers in the Greater Toronto Area and retails for $2.99 per carton or $1.49 per bottle.