Meet Salt Spring Squeeze: community names new rescued-apple juice

It has a name! After hundreds of suggestions, a shortlist and a community vote, Salt Spring Island Farmland Trust’s new rescued-apple juice is officially Salt Spring Squeeze.

The winning name was submitted by Salt Spring Island’s Randall Miron, who will receive permanent bragging rights as the person who named Salt Spring’s newest local juice. When asked why he chose the name, Miron says, “I like the alliteration and that it alludes to the method of production with a double entendre.”  He gets a case of our juice and eternal glory for being the person who named our juice.

Randall was not the only person who suggested a name with "Squeeze" in the title. We also have honourable mentions for Matt Spencer ("Worth the Squeeze"), Verena Egger (Worth the Squeeze), Tyler McLaron (Freed & Squeezed), Sarah Gadon (Pleased to Squeeze Juice), Sarah Gee (Juicy Squeeze), and Andria Scanlan (Squeeze Me). Runners up were Samantha Marinho (Core Values), Jessica Matwick (No Bad Apples) and Verena Egger (Village Press)..

Thank you everyone for playing! We had over 100 entries and dozens of votes online as well as the hundreds of folks who voted in person at the Apple Fest. Many thanks also to the Salt Spring Exchange for helping promote the contest.

We're working away now with a local artist to design a woodcut style label that does justice to this great name. Soon, islanders will have the opportunity to be among the first to get their hands on this locally produced nectar that is made from apples harvested at over 80 sites on the island by teams of committed volunteers. 

The first batch —expected just before the holiday gathering season — will be particularly special as it contains flavours of the 500+ varieties of apples that Salt Spring boasts are grown right here, including many rare and heirloom varieties. 

“Each season, thousands of pounds of fruit that might otherwise fall to the ground are picked by volunteers and shared throughout the community,” says Farmland Trust’s Ella Rowland. “Now, a portion of that abundance is being pressed, pasteurized and bottled to create a shelf-stable local product — and a new source of revenue to support the entire food-rescue and distribution program.” 

Fruit that is harvested is shared three ways: one third to the pickers, one third to the site owners, and one third to community organizations like the Food Bank, Lookout Society, the Tsartlip Tribal School in Saanich, and to Gabriel’s Kitchen.

Proceeds from juice sales will support the Farmland Trust to recruit volunteers, gather approximately 25,000 pounds of fruit per year, and to press and pasteurize apples.  

Thank you to everyone for playing! And look out for the Salt Spring Squeeze in stores near you.... meanwhile, we'll be picking, pressing, and bottling up the sweetness of the season.