Organic store gives freedom of healthier choices

Organic store gives freedom of healthier choices

Hera Diani, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Everybody wants to eat healthier, but temptation seemingly lies
at every corner while healthful food is harder to come by.

Hey, farmer farmer, put away that DDT now/Give me spots on my
apples/But leave me the birds and the bees, please!

There is no better theme song to accompany a meal at Healthy
Choice health store and restaurant than Joni Mitchell's Big
Yellow Taxi.

Serving organic food and ingredients, the store proudly brings
back the blotches on the banana, a hole or two in vegetables and
says no to pesticides, as per Mitchell's wish.

It offers a wide range of organic products, from vegetables,
rice, to cookies, seeds, ramen noodles, mosquito spray, cough
syrup, hand soap and even tampons.

All of the products are manufactured organically, meaning all
the ingredients are planted or tended naturally with no chemicals
added, no preservatives, no additives, no MSG and no GMOs.

One that caught my attention was rice milk, what we know as
air tajin, the poor's answer to expensive packaged instant milk.

Here in the store, that air tajin is no longer cheap at Rp
45,000 a carton.

"This is, like, an alternative to milk, made from organic
rice, but it's as tasty and nutritious as regular cow milk or soy
milk," said store operational director Stevan Lie.

The establishment of the store can be traced to five years
ago, when Stevan and his business partner founded a colon
hydrotherapy clinic, which he claimed was the first in the
country.

Feedback from the clinic's clients about their health needs
led him to open a store specializing in organic food and
ingredients about a year ago.

Ninety percent of the products are imported from the United
States, Switzerland, New Zealand and Taiwan.

Local products include vegetables, rice, eggs, chicken and
mushrooms, which are obtained from organic farms in Bandung and
Puncak, West Java, but there is a problem of standardization.

"It's difficult to obtain organic products here because there
is no clear standard (governing them). In Europe, for instance,
the land where organic vegetables are planted must be free from
chemicals for at least 10 years," Stevan said.

With few organic produce producers, there is the problem of
ensuring product availability, especially fresh produce scheduled
to be delivered every Tuesday and Friday from local farmers.

"Spices, for instance, aren't organic yet. So, the products
here are yet to be 100 percent organic, but we're trying," said
Stevan.

At the urging of customers, he decided to establish a small
restaurant, a franchise of Taiwan's Yogi House, which also has
branches in Singapore and Malaysia.

Aside from Asian regional cuisine such as ramen, curry and hot
pot, there are local favorites as well, including laksa, the
popular coconut milk-based soup. The difference here is that the
organic laksa is made of bonsoy, a coconut milk substitute made
from soy milk.

It tastes the same as regular laksa, and has the added benefit
of leaving the diner feeling much lighter after finishing the
meal.

"Organic farm products are even tastier. The vegetables are
crunchier and sweeter. It's simply because it's natural ..." he
said.

The Hawaiian fried rice, meanwhile, is crunchy because of the
brown rice.

Otherwise, the items on the menu are fine and delicious, with
the not-to-be-missed yogu berry dessert. Light and fresh, it is
made from organic yogurt, organic mulberry jam and konjaku jelly.

According to Stevan, the restaurant is not the core of the
business, which is shown by the limited seating capacity, with
about five tables seating 20 people.

"Our business core is the health store. This restaurant is
only to show people that healthy food can be tasty, too. But our
aim is for people to implement the healthy lifestyle at home.
People may even send their maid here to learn the recipes from
our chef," said Stevan.

Although the store and restaurant have gained a loyal customer
base, Stevan said they want to aim for a wider market.

Most customers are 40 years or above, many with health
problem. Younger people are usually overseas graduates with high
awareness of healthy food.

But there is always the issue of price, as organic products
are not produced in bulk and are not cheap.

"I understand that organic food is more expensive, and it can
be two to three times the regular price. But that's only because
it's not a mass product, the farming period is longer because of
the natural process and the shelf life of the products is shorter
because it has no preservatives," he said.

He wants customers to see the choice of health food as a long-
term investment.

"It boosts your immunity. Please note that medical expenses
are much more expensive."

Healthy Choice
Komp. Graha Mas Blok A6-7
Jl. Raya Perjuangan, Kebun Jeruk
West Jakarta 11630
Tel. (021) 5305665/8, 5302574
Opens 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.