Lynda Scantlebury is one of those people who seems to be able to keep a lot of balls in the air without dropping any of them. Her cold pressed juice company Inner Ego has been providing Perth peeps with quality cleanses since 2013, followed not long after by cold pressed almond milk brand The Pure Press. The addition of a recently launched Apotheca range of organic tonic herbs makes Lynda a veritable wellness maven. This week Honest Goods Co. debuts on Inner Ego's new Reset Meal Plans, so we're taking time to get to know our latest colab partner a bit better...
Lynda Scantlebury
First of all, what is your all-time favourite cold pressed juice combo?!
Our #6 juice is my fave: Sweet Potato, Grapefruit, Cinnamon, Red Apple and Carrot. It’s the best, so warming and full of vitamin C!
Are you a keen cleanser yourself?
I actually eat really well now, and rarely drink so I don’t do as many as I used to when I first started the company. I find the food + juice combos are more suited to my lifestyle as I am super busy all the time and I love to workout so need the extra energy for that. Exercise is my stress relief technique so I try to do something daily!
Inner Ego Cold Pressed Juices
The phrase 'cold pressed' gets thrown around a lot, but what does it actually mean, and why does it matter?
Cold pressed describes the method in which the juice is made. Instead of using a blade that spins really fast, we press the juice slowly between two plates. This is important as it significantly slows the destruction of nutrients in your juices, meaning you get a juice that has a lot more live enzymes, vitamins and minerals. The other reason it is so important is it doesn’t oxidise the juice, which means it lasts longer without the need for preservatives or additives. I think it’s important to look for ‘raw’ juices as well as cold pressed, because once a juice is pasteurised you essentially kill most of the live goodness, making the cold press process pointless.
Everything you sell on your site is vegan. Why is that important to you?
I think it is important to run a business that aligns with your personal values. And for me, veganism just makes sense in terms of environmental and ethical responsibility. I also believe that to truly cleanse you need to avoid dairy and meat in your diet, and stick to strictly plants for a few days.
You started Inner Ego four years ago now - how have you seen the juice cleanse industry in Perth change over this time?
There are a lot more players in the game now compared to when we first started. I also think customers are a lot more aware, they know what they are looking for in a cleanse.
Juice + Food: HGC Vegan Peanut Butter Cacao Bread paired with Juice #4
This year you added meal plans to your cleanse delivery service. What made you want to move into offering food along with your existing cleanses?
Our meal plans came about because we wanted to offer an option for people who can’t juice cleanse, or it just doesn’t fit with their lifestyle. This style of plant based eating can make you feel amazing, and we wanted to share that with Perth. I also knew there was a big gap in the market for sustainable meal plans – ones that don’t have you throwing out a couple of styrofoam eskys and 24 plastic containers every week! To me that just seems really wasteful.
Seeing as you’ve brought up packaging sustainable packaging, what other measures do you take to limit Inner Ego’s environmental footprint?
We have a really great glass return system, which our customers love! We take back cooler bags, jars and swing tags from your cleanse, and offer discounts on future purchases. And we get loads back every week. I think if you make it easy for people they always recycle. All our waste pulp is used for dog food or gets made into compost, so we limit that waste also. Oh and our facility is just about to be powered by the SUN! We have our installation next month so that is pretty exciting as well.
Inner Ego Juice #6: Carrot, grapefruit, cinnamon, red apple, sweet potato
So then, I want to sign up for a 3 or 5 day reset with food and juice. What can I expect?
Everyone is so different! Our Reset Meal Plans will give you a new appreciation for just how delicious a plant based diet can be. I think there’s a misconception that eating only plants is not filling, but trust me, you will feel satisfied without that heavy feeling. We have included so much variety in this cleanse: soups, cold pressed juices, HGC loaded toast (of course!), raw treats and amazing salads. All this will leave you feeling energised, satisfied, lighter, and most importantly, ready to keep up your healthy eating habits beyond the meal plans.
Very important question: your favourite three places to eat in Perth?
My faves are Pixel Coffee in Leederville, Dunn and Walton in Doubleview and Holly Raye's in Bassendean.
And your favourite Honest Goods Co. combo?
I like to eat simply and I don’t have a sweet tooth so: smashed avo and sauerkraut on the Seeded Superfood Loaf.
Juice + Food: HGC Vegan Seeded Superfood Bread paired with Juice #3
You’ve got a strong history of collaborating with other local businesses to pimp up your cleanses - Gypsy Elixirs and Suppa Club, for example, and now us! What do you love about Perth’s small business community?
Perth’s small biz community is pretty special, and people are really doing some amazing things! Everyone is so open to collaborating and it makes the business journey that much more interesting.
Finally, any projects or developments in the pipeline that we need to know about?
This year has been absolutely massive for us in terms of product launches so we are going to be focusing on refining our current product offering next year. But we do have some pretty special Christmas packs coming at the end of this year, so keep any eye out for them!!
Head on over to Inner Ego's online store to get your Spring cleanse sorted.
Meals from the Inner Ego Reset Meal Plan