EVEN before MIX came into the picture, this Sydney-based health food shop has been quietly gaining a loyal following who swear by the natural goodness of its made-to-order wraps, salads, juices and smoothies.

With four outlets in Sydney, co-owner Loretta Bertocchi decided it was time to open one in Singapore and did just that in March this year as part of Republic Plaza's snazzy eating concept hive@RP, which comprises several restaurants and fast food counters offering executives an upmarket alternative to the food court.

While she's a partner with Richard Griffin - a registered nurse with whom she started Juiced in Sydney - the Adelaide-born Italian has been living in Singapore for five years since she came to join her younger sister Marisa, a partner at vegetarian restaurant Original Sin in Holland Village.

Despite being told that Singaporeans would not go for healthy fast food and that her clientele would only comprise expatriates, Ms Bertocchi decided to give it a go. 'I had a gut feeling,' she says. 'I knew it would be difficult and challenging, but I really believe people are starting to change the way they eat.'

She adds: 'People said 'you won't survive if it's an expat-oriented business'. The expats know my shop, but my challenge is to get locals comfortable with my food, to show them it can be tasty and filling.'

So for six months, she went all out, offering little freebies to customers to try new things like artichokes, and constantly changing the items in her salad bar, which she says is one of the few DIY salad bars in Singapore. 'Most of them are pre-mixed and have a lot of mayonnaise. We put our dressings separately, and I get my vegetable fresh from the markets every single day because there is no way that you can hide non-fresh vegetables.'

Her wraps are tasty and freshly made to order, using wraps made by a Mexican manufacturer who has a factory in Singapore. Currently, she's using spinach flavoured wraps but is looking at introducing more flavours like tomato, basil and so on. While there's a wide choice of fillings, Ms Bertocchi will also customise your fillings according to your dietary restrictions.

'I've got vegetarians or people who can't take wheat or fruit, or vegetables with sugar in them, so I make specialised foods for them. I never use cream, and my customers appreciate that. I keep my meats separate from my vegetables. My family's all vegetarian so I can understand how they think.'

But she does concede that it's a challenge to change people's mindsets about healthy food. Still, she's heartened by the growing positive response to her range of healthy wraps - the garden wrap, for example, is stuffed full of vegetables and particularly beetroot, which makes a hearty and satisfying mouthful - and home made soups, functional juices, and power smoothies all made to recipes designed in Sydney by nutritionists.

'I've had a guy from Orchard Road and Raffles City coming in every day. I've had people requesting that I open other shops, and even a few people wanting to be investors. But I'm not ready yet because this is my pilot shop so I still want to build it up.'

And in the meantime, continue to promote a lifestyle choice because 'it's important for people to feel good about what they're eating, and how it gives you more energy during the day'.

JUICED RAWBARS
#B1-08 Republic Plaza, 9 Raffles Place (S) 048619. Tel: 6535 3230