When Vanessa Bremner got an email from an ITV producer asking if she wanted her cold-pressed fresh juices to appear on hit show Dancing on Ice, she didn’t take it seriously.
“I just assumed the email had been sent to heaps of companies,” the Stonehaven mum-of-three says. “I responded out of politeness, really.”
Lucky for her she’s so well-mannered.
Two days ago she got a call saying her juices will be given to all 12 Dancing on Ice celebrities, and the pro-skaters teaching them, to drink in their dressing rooms as they record the Sunday night show.
“I was like, oh my God, it’s actually happening!” Vanessa says with a squeal of delight.
To say that Vanessa is pleased with how is has turned out is an understatement.
The 32-year-old started her company – called The Juicing Co – from her home in Stonehaven in 2017 after husband Stuart convinced her it was a good idea.
The couple lived in Singapore for a few years through Stuart’s work and while there Vanessa fell in love with the South-East Asian culture of fresh-pressed juices and fruit-and-veg ‘shots’.
She has since built a loyal following for her juices, which are all hand-pressed and packaged by Vanessa from her home.
But with the Dancing on Ice roll call of celebs including former footballer John Fashanu, reality star Joey Essex and 2022 Love Island winner Ekin-Su Culculoglu, the upcoming exposure could take business to the next level.
“I’m still in disbelief, it’s happened so fast,” Vanessa says.
A few extra bottles for Phillip and Holly
When the Press & Journal speaks to Vanessa, she is about to start a new batch of juices and shots for the celebs.
She will send enough for the entire cast, plus a few bottles for the show’s presenters Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby, and judges Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean.
She is currently pressing Glow, a pineapple-based green juice that she hopes will give the contestants the energy they need to twist, twirl and spin across the ice.
“Lots of nutrients,” she says. “Fuel them through their day.”
She has also readied a batch of turmeric tonic shots and ginger tonic shots. Vanessa says they will boost the stars’ immune systems and “give them a little buzz”.
Best of all, Vanessa uses local ingredients, which means the skaters on the show this Sunday evening could well be fuelled by carrots she recently bought from Laurencekirk.
“They’re unpasteurised, completely raw, so it’s just pure nutrients,” she says of her ingredients. “It’s almost like a multi-nutrient supercharge. It’s going to give them a real instant energy boost.”
Also, each bottle from The Juicing Co carries the words ‘Handcrafted in Aberdeenshire’.
“I love Aberdeen, I love Aberdeenshire,” Vanessa says. “It’s important to put that on it.”
Getting on the Love Island radar
The Dancing on Ice line-up this year is varied.
Also skating is former EastEnders star Patsy Palmer, ex-footballer John Fashanu and lead singer of The Wanted Siva Kaneswaran.
But Vanessa is most excited about making juices for Love Islander Ekin Su – and her 3.2 million Instagram followers.
“She messaged me last night, which is amazing!” Vanessa says.
“I’m hoping that once they get the juices, if they do a little thing on their stories to say they got them, then that would just be out of this world.”
Dancing on Ice starts Sunday January 15, 6:30pm on ITV1 and ITVX.
