Andrew Cooper is probably best known as the Diet Coke man, having graced their commercials and brought a new level of sex appeal to the humble lawnmower. These days however, he has a new moniker as the head of his own company, Juice Man.

Always super healthy, Andrew’s schedule as a model has long required a clean routine, not simply because of the obvious need to remain in shape, but because of a gruelling travel schedule that has invariably left him drained. After all, anyone who’s done any amount of travelling, even if it be trips up and down the rather less glam M4, will know that it’s nigh on impossible to find anything healthy to consume on the go.

So in addition to a repertoire of exercise, broadly healthy eating, regular massages, saunas and steam rooms, Andrew was introduced to juicing, when a couple of kind friends pointed out that he was looking a little peaky (just as well they’re not looking at us first thing in the morning).

From Diet Coke to Juice Man

“I first started cleansing because I felt lethargic and tired and I felt I had black circles and patches of skin that were dry, so this was about feeling good and rejuvenating,” he says. “I was flying around so much I was struggling to keep healthy, so when I did the Coke commercial I bought a fruit farm up in Cheshire. I found that, looking at the market, there wasn’t anything to do with the whole cold pressed juice thing in the UK. The term Juice Man came about because I basically became a juice delivery boy to people we knew!”

So what’s the relevance of cold pressed juice? Fruit that’s never heated and kept 100% raw is the selling point of Juice Man, but why is that? “It’s about keeping it as close to its natural form as possible to create the freshness and retain all the good bits. By cold pressing there’s no heat, so oxidisation doesn’t take place and the juice has a longer shelf life. It’s a niche product so it comes at a price, and we also offer a product that’s made specifically for you. The point is that it’s more convenient than making it yourself.”

Making juicing easy

Catering to all eventualities however, Andrew has also launched the Juice Man book, so if you want to save the cash on buying juice pre-prepared then there’s your answer, he also has a blog, Cooper’s Digest where he shares all his worldly health and wellbeing wisdom. Proving the appeal of his products, the Juice Man phenomenon is scaling new heights, with partnerships with Se7-Eleven and Abel&Co in our midst.

The point about Andrew’s juices is to provide flexibility and options, and ultimately to make it easier to inject a little healthy boost into your routine. Sure, Andrew himself is a fan of the odd juice cleanse (juices all day for a couple of days), but he himself points out that it’s not for everyone. For some, a juice first thing in the morning to help offset everything else you do that day may be the right route, for others it’s a seasonal juice cleanse, or simply adding them into your diet as a good way to get a few more fruit and veg into the mix.

“It’s more about what you’re eliminating than the juice itself, the juice is a vehicle to get through it and to provide vitamins. Juicing is a good way to help you reset and change bad habits, after all we get into healthy habits as easily as unhealthy ones. I have now been exploring the business for seven years; I may have a day of juicing, but then cut out dairy and things for a week, or I may do a few days detoxing each season.”

Healthy habits start young

Andrew is certainly idealistic when it comes to his goals, aiming for zero carbon footprint and the height of quality control. While there are pragmatic challenges on the carbon footprint front, he continues to make every effort, but quality control is non negotiable: “a lot of people do it without any experience and just to make money, which is hard on the market because it makes it so patchy in terms of quality. So at first I never thought I wanted to write a cookery book, but I also wanted to create something everyone could use.”

Proving the wide appeal of the product, Andrew’s children are also fans of the juices. He doesn’t pretend they don’t have sweets on occasion, but from pregnancy and through childhood they have enjoyed a homespun diet of the best juices and the children are happily thriving but also have a profound understanding of food values. They get that some foods hold zero nutritional value but are enjoyable while others are super beneficial - that, and nothing is more appealing than brightly coloured drinks.

“It’s easy when they’re little,” he says: “they base everything on colours. Kids love smoothies and you can hide anything in them - there’s this whole thing about sugar at the moment, but there is good sugar and kids need energy - they do so much! I make the juices with with them and we make it fun. I tell them, whatever you make you have to drink.” He also makes fresh lollies by simply freezing the juices.

Top tips for healthy living

So what are Andrew’s top tips when it comes to juicing and healthy living? Start the day on a good green juice, have a full 12 hour break from eating at night and exercise regularly. That gives peace of mind in terms of how the rest of your day goes - start on a good green juice, then if lunch or steak dinners take hold you know you started well and you balance out the day. “If I could tell my 20 year old self anything, I would stretch more and do more yoga, and if you’re going to cheat, cheat properly and have the good stuff instead of the rubbish!

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