Squeeze wheatgrass collaboration at its best

Squeeze Wheatgrass was founded in 2010 by Managing Director, Jacquelyn Stewart and is the only commercial producer of fresh wheatgrass juice with extended shelf life within the UK.

WHEATGRASS About the Company
Jacquelyn saw that there was a gap in the market for a Ready to Drink Wheatgrass shot but more specifically she identified the need for a wheatgrass juice with extended shelf life (without additives or preservatives). The wheatgrass shots are produced from organic seed, have full accreditation from the Vegetarian Society and are completely free from additives or preservatives and are never heat treated or frozen. Recently the company have just launched flavoured shots of wheatgrass with beetroot, orange & lemon and apple & pear.

About the Case
The project led by SRC’s Food Innovation Specialist, Brenda Kelleghan alongside Dr Amy Burns and Dr Lynsey Hollywood from Ulster University Business School completed research into the nutritional composition of fresh wheatgrass juice.

In order to increase the appeal and consumption of the product, kitchen development work took place assessing opportunities for incorporating wheatgrass into mainstream products. Students from the Consumer Studies degree programme in UU also assisted in this area. The aim was to develop a range of products with fresh wheatgrass juice that would target mainstream markets and increase sales.

The project involved concept development work in the product development kitchens at Ulster University as well as sensory analysis testing of the new products using the sensory booths in the food innovation centre in Coleraine.


Ulster University’s Business School based in Coleraine was instrumental in assisting the practical development of this project using the facilities of the consumer sensory science suites. The Suite at the university is recognised throughout Ireland as the focus for scientific and marketing exercises which enable producers to develop and gauge the popularity and saleability of new food products.

A range of exciting and innovative products are in the final stages of development that will be nutritionally assessed with the potential collaboration with a number of companies. This is very exciting for the company and opens a new route to market for sales of wheatgrass juice.

“These products will add innovation to the food industry in the area of health and wellbeing. This can give rise to other areas of functional foods and making niche products more mainstream in food products to help growth of industry. Watch this space”, Jacquelyn Stewart, Managing Director Squeeze Wheatgrass.

Knowledge provider name: Southern Regional College
Conatct: Brenda Kelleghan
Telephone: 02830 259664
i3@src.ac.uk