All natural

Whether it's ice cubes in red wine, whiskey with cold green tea or croissants filled with egg and stodgy bacon, there is no doubt that Beijing's eating habits are changing. The middle class have more money than ever before and it seems recently they've discovered that not everything has to be McDonald's and Dove chocolate. The constant stream of food scandals over the past few years, from exploding watermelons to melamine tainted milk, have further served to open the eyes of Chinese consumers to what they eat and drink. For the burgeoning entrepreneurs trying to set foot on the healthy eating ladder, that's no bad thing.

Changing tastes

"We started up in 2007, but it's only been in the last year that we've started doing well," said Florian Eysler, one of the co-founders of iF Juice, the all natural fruit juice bar and kitchen located in the Central Business District (CBD). "We said we just wanted to press fruit and put the juice in a bottle and people looked at us as if we were from another planet," added Eysler. "The manufacturing people said 'No, no that's not how it works. There's a big drum of concentrate and you just open that drum. You never have fruit in your facility - you just dilute it with water and then market it.' That was not our thinking of how to do it."

Sticking to an all natural ethos of no sugar, no concentrates and no additives, Eysler and his company have been trying to market fresh, healthy drinks to the hardened baozi munching, tea drinking populace of Beijing. They source fruit from trusted providers in the country and concoct their own blends of mango, orange and berries, alongside a host of vegetable beverages. "We are buying from export processors. Our vegetables come from a certified organic farm. We do not shop around," says Eysler. "We buy from people we know. We went to the orchards to see their processing facilities and are still buying from the same people."

Relying on an expat crowd, which dissipated during the visa-trying times of the Beijing Olympics, and then became cautious of local produce due to food scandals, it has been a tough time for the small fruit juice company. "Since 2000 there has been this shift in Europe and America from global to local," he added. "We didn't see that here in China. We thought that's something that we are interested in. Everybody has to do it [drink fruit juice] - it's a daily necessity."

At several times the price of supermarket concentrate, it's been difficult to convince Chinese consumers of the daily necessity. Many look to the price straight away, ignoring the promise of fresh pressing, no artificial flavorings, additives and sugar. They even look upon the sediment or consistency of the drink with apprehension. "You know when you are opening a berry juice that it's a bit heavy on the top. Educated people would just shake it and say that it's fine. You might have a product that settles, because there's natural settling in it - that's what simply happens to fresh produce," adds Eysler.

"This is an educational process for the Chinese consumer. They might think a bottle that settles is broken, but people in the know would say it's natural. That's why it's so important to have a physical location. People come in, they see in the back what you're doing and they have the sales people to answer questions about it."

His staff now patiently explain to people the ethos, and it's via recommendations that business has begun to pick up. With an account on popular Chinese microblog Sina Weibo, membership cards and plans for an iPhone app in the works, they're confident that slowly but surely, the middle class Chinese business will begin to pick up.

Other half of breakfast

Also looking to start a health food spring in China, Robert Herrmann, co-founder of DIY-Muesli, has his hands full trying to craft a healthy breakfast for the capital. Just a couple of months into the business, and awaiting a prized organic certificate from the Chinese authorities, Herrmann admits that they haven't quite broken even yet with their venture. That doesn't stop him from dreaming of conquering second and third tier cities with muesli.

"Right now you can only get muesli in international stores. If you look at the smaller cities there's no muesli at all," he says rather forlornly. "I'd say about 50 percent of our customers are Chinese consumers making custom cereals and we definitely want to target the Chinese in China."

A recent Internet startup, Herrmann sells muesli, which would normally be certified organic in his native Germany. Rather than batch selling pre-made boxes and packaging, he's opted to bring in the flakes from all around the world and compliment them with local fruits and nuts, sourced in China. The DIY comes from the ability to mix and match different ingredients to suit even the most discerning cereal eater. Like Eysler, he's had more than a few emails asking just how one is supposed to eat his products.

"We want to know how we can introduce this breakfast to these kinds of people, so right now it's just word of mouth," says Herrmann. "They don't know how to eat it and they say how can Chinese eat it? They've seen it at the supermarket, but they think the Chinese stomach is different, so right now we have to introduce it."

Amongst the selection are certain things that might appeal to the Chinese palate, such as dried beef. "We have dried beef. Some people like it. If you have the dried beef with the mango or some kind of fruit, it tastes alright - it's like these Vietnamese dishes," he adds. "Some customers in the beginning said 'If I have breakfast I have to have meat." This might also explain why some customers have recommended it as a lunchtime snack.

While some of the major supermarkets do already stock muesli, one of the reasons that DIY-Muesli went with its online customization approach, which is a little more expensive, is to maximize quality and choice. You're not paying for pre-packaged, you're getting the full works custom made in Beijing.

The two German entrepreneurs are by no means the first to wave the healthy eating flag. Beijing's organic farms have found their following too, not least when it comes to the milk market. It seems fitting that all are encouraging Chinese consumers to be both organic and healthy by starting with the first meal of the day. Hopefully lunch and dinner will be on the menu soon too.