California Dreaming - in Berlin!
Inspired by California's hyper-healthy lifestyle, sisters Cindy and Nancy Bachmann brought the idea of transformative living to the capital with Los Angeles Cold Press (LACP) – and thus laid the foundation for a company that brings traditional Ayurvedic-Chinese medicinal plants, and nutrient-rich juices, to the daily menu as moments of relaxation.
Under the motto "Reconnect yourself to the healing power of nature", the entrepreneurs offer not only fresh cold-pressed juices for juice cleanses, but also nutritional supplements based on potent plant substances, to strengthen the body from within in times of stress and peaks of physical strain .
What started as a juice bar pop-up in 2014 has, 9 years later, established itself as the place to go for those looking to reset their bodies.
In an interview with This Place, CEO Cindy Bachmann talks about who inspires the two sisters, their vision in founding LACP, and the role digital wellbeing and self-care play for them.
The interview is the first of two In Conversation features with LACP. The photo of Cindy (left) and Nancy Bachmann (right) was taken by Jabob & Reischel.
1. For most of us, experience in making juice on our own is limited to squeezing citrus fruits. For a successful business, of course, you need much more knowledge about juices and how they are made. Where did you learn your craft?
Cindy and I have been working on the production and effectiveness of cold-pressed juices for more than ten years. We have been inspired by the teachings of Dr. Norman W. Walker, Fred Bisci and Charlotte Gerson, among others - all luminaries in the field of plant and raw food-based nutrition and its influence on health. We learned our tools directly from the pioneers in New York and Los Angeles and developed our recipes together with nutrition experts and alternative practitioners.
2. You say your cold-pressed juices reset the digestive system and reboot the metabolism with nutrient-rich superfood ingredients. How can I tell that my body needs a reboot? And what happens in the body during the reset?
Stress, physical exhaustion, bad eating habits, digestive or skin problems can be signs that your body needs a new start. During a juice cure, a special form of fasting, you consume only cold-pressed vegetable and fruit juices as well as nut milk in high quality organic with valuable vitamins and nutrients. This gives your body and mind a conscious break to recover from everyday habits, recharge your batteries and restore your balance.
Fasting has a positive effect on the metabolism, reduces inflammation in the body, strengthens the cells and gives you the opportunity to lead a more conscious life afterwards.
3. Nancy, you live in Ojai (California), your sister Cindy in Berlin. What influence do your places of residence have on your product developments and product decisions? And does the LA lifestyle shape your range more than life in the German capital?
Our products are always about enhancing holistic well-being, for body and mind alike. In doing so, we reflect on the healing power of nature and its plants and are inspired by the healthy lifestyle that the city of L.A. uniquely embodies. In addition to the "Californian Spirit" (i.e. the "bottled sunshine"), high quality, i.e. liquid gold, and the focus on the local, regional origin of the ingredients from the Berlin area are equally important to us in our juices.
"Stress, physical exhaustion, poor eating habits, digestive or skin problems can be signs that your body is asking for a reboot."
4. What challenges did you face at the beginning of your journey as entrepreneurs? And what challenges do you face (again) 9 years later?
With LACP, we have strived from the beginning to pave the way to a conscious, higher-quality and transformative way of life full of joy. This is what makes us and drives us, 9 years ago just as much as today.
In doing so, it is important that we keep checking in with ourselves regularly. Who are we today, what drives us, what motivates us - individually, but also together? And how can this feeling flow into the development of our brand, our organisation and our product creations?
At the moment, we are moving forward with topics and new offerings such as One-Day Retreats in Berlin and Ojai, further products for Wellbeing and Endurance and the creation of new community formats.
5. Looking at your product portfolio quickly reveals that, like This Place, you rely 100 per cent on the power of nature. Mineral-rich superfoods are complemented by healing spices and mushrooms. With all this variety, what are your personal natural heroes and why?
Yes, that's right. We believe in the healing power of nature and its plants and use the teachings of alchemy in our products in a contemporary way.
We love our "Inner Strength Duo", which consists of "The Immortal", the energising vital mushroom blend of raw cacao and the power mushrooms Chaga, Reishi, Cordyceps and Lion's Mane. And the calming nerve tonic "The Mountain Monk" with astragalus, ashwagandha, brahmi and holy basil.
Both adaptogen blends work wonderfully symbiotically together and are the perfect companion for us in our daily routine for energy in the morning and relaxation in the evening.
6. "Juices? There are metres and metres of them on every supermarket shelf!” - How do you react to sceptical or even provocative statements about your products? And how do you explain that not all juices are the same?
Our production process is unique and enables the highest quality as well as the maximum extraction of nutrients, vitamins and enzymes with a shelf life of 3 to 5 days. Our process is in marked contrast to the well-known HPP process (High Pressure Processing) or classic pasteurisation, where the juices are preserved for several weeks or even months and thus contain far fewer nutrients.
Our raw juices stand for a unique taste experience made from natural and seasonal ingredients that are 100% organically grown or wild-collected. They are lovingly hand-prepared fresh and gently to unfold the full detoxifying, activating and nourishing effect.
"From the beginning, we have strived to pave the way to a conscious, higher-quality and transformative way of life full of joy."
7. Your adaptogens and juices are based on the wisdom of Traditional Chinese Medicine and rounded off with Ayurvedic approaches. How do you incorporate findings from scientific studies or research results into your products?
All our recipes are developed together with nutrition experts and alternative practitioners and we follow findings from research results and scientific studies in our product creations.
8. You get your ingredients from farmers from Berlin and Brandenburg, among other places. What does it mean to you to work with local heroes?
Working with local heroes like Wilmars Gärten is very close to our hearts. We share a respect for our nature and a sensitivity to listen to it. We love exploring the diversity of varieties, their ripeness, texture and last but not least their taste.
Last summer, for example, we worked together to develop a Carrot Shiso juice from regenerative farming and we want to expand our collaboration with Local Heroes with more products in the future.
9. With "Lore Scent", you are expanding your product portfolio for the first time with an extrait de parfum. This fragrance is a tribute to your grandmother and is meant to remind you of people you love more than anything. What inspired you to create a fragrance? What role do olfactory moments play in your life?
The fragrance development of Lore is a heartfelt project in honour of our grandmother and a symbol of how tradition, wisdom and experience are passed down through the matriarchal line of the family. We have deliberately chosen an Extrait de Parfum, a highly concentrated perfume oil without alcohol, in a unique blend of natural essential oils of the highest quality.
The perfume begins with an elegant story of white flowers - jasmine and ylang ylang are traditionally handpicked by women - and then slowly evolves into a modern, warm, sweet woody scent based around Palo Santo, reminiscent of Nancy's life in Los Angeles and her spiritual journey.
Ingredients that traditionally centre the spirit, like vetyver, and sacred ingredients like frankincense have been infused.
Once the perfume was blended, it was macerated with a giant rose quartz crystal to imbue the oils with the energy of inspiration, healing and focus. Lore is a sacred fragrance and wearing it is like a warm embrace.
"We stand for respect for our nature and the sensitivity to listen to it."
10. Los Angeles Cold Press is present on Instagram (@LACOLDPRESS). Keyword "Digital Wellbeing": What does it take to feel comfortable in dealing with social media platforms and not get caught in a spiral of eternal comparison?
Instagram is absolutely a positive expansion playground for us. We focus on connecting and following expander accounts, i.e. people or businesses that inspire us and bring us into the vision. Once a year we also go through the account and do an Instagram cleanse to ensure we stay in the frequency of expansion and inspiration.
We also love to connect with other brands and businesses here for collaborations and new partnerships.
11. Your company philosophy includes the experience of conscious breaks. What self-care rituals enable you to take these breaks even during stress peaks?
Self-care rituals that help us as energizers in moments of stress are, for example, 20-minute meditation in the morning, the clarifying scent of Palo Santo, a walk in nature, the powerful yoga breathing exercise three-minute fire breathing in between to strengthen the aura, a soothing adaptogen latte or a relaxing mineral salt bath.
"Fasting opens up the possibility for you to live a more conscious life afterwards."
