Single-Varietal Juices from the van Nahmen Fruit Press
Juices from van Nahmen are single-varietal direct juices made from heritage fruit varieties, pressed since 1917 in Hamminkeln on the Lower Rhine. We carry four varieties: organic apple juice from meadow orchards, Morellenfeuer cherry juice, Stromberg plum, and pomegranate. Fruit with a name and origin, treated in the glass like a fine wine.
Juice from van Nahmen is direct juice from a single variety of fruit that can be named. While the supermarket shelf usually just says "apple," here you find Jakob Lebel, Rote Sternrenette, or Morellenfeuer—varieties that hardly anyone grows anymore because they are labor-intensive. These are exactly what Peter van Nahmen presses in the fourth generation, single-varietal and gently processed.
Four varieties, four personalities
The selection ranges from an everyday classic to a tart soloist.
The organic apple juice from meadow orchards is a daily favorite—naturally cloudy, delicately sweet, made from apples from trees up to 80 years old. Peter van Nahmen affectionately calls it his Lower Rhine Riesling. The Morellenfeuer cherry juice is decidedly more sophisticated: ruby red, almost dry, with notes of marzipan and dark fruit.
In addition, there is the Stromberg plum, a garnet-red damson juice from a variety that has been grown in the Münsterland region since 1790, and the organic pomegranate direct juice—tart, tannic, the red wine among juices.
What is wonderful is that every bottle here bears a name you can look up. The Stromberg plum even has a protected designation of origin, and the Morellenfeuer is a cross between the Ostheimer Weichsel and Frühester der Mark. Such varieties are rarely found in shops—but here they sit on the shelf, each with its own character and history.
Direct juice, mother juice, nectar—the difference
Three terms appear on the labels, and they mean different things.
A direct juice is the juice as it flows from the press—bottled just as it is, without water removal and without back-dilution. A mother juice (or "pure juice") is the naturally cloudy, original form of this, the first pressing in its full strength, as is the case with the pomegranate. A nectar, on the other hand, has water and a little sweetness added—always when a fruit would be too tart or too thick-flowing on its own, such as quince, apricot, or rhubarb.
All four juices in this selection are direct juices; three of them are also organic. Those looking for a velvety texture will find it in the nectars—both have their time and place, and both are made by van Nahmen with the same care.
Meadow orchard instead of plantation
The difference begins long before the press, namely in the meadow.
Standard (tall-stemmed) fruit trees yield less than those in a modern plantation, but they are more aromatic—and over 5,000 animal and plant species live among them. To make cultivation worthwhile for the fruit farmers, van Nahmen has been paying a premium for meadow orchard fruit together with the NABU since 1994. Twice a year, 500 to 800 young trees are replanted.
The later the harvest and the gentler the pressing, the more complex the aroma in the glass later on. That is why the fruit press waits, presses carefully, and bottles the juice unadulterated—for the cherries just as much as for the apples.
A juice for every occasion
These juices belong in a stemmed glass, not a plastic cup.
In the morning, the apple juice is perfect for breakfast; in summer, enjoy it as a spritzer with sparkling mineral water. The Morellenfeuer and the Stromberg plum pair well with hearty cuisine—duck, game, and braised dishes—and the pomegranate provides a tart apéritif or a base for a dressing. Serve them all well chilled at 8 to 12 degrees Celsius.
These juices are at home in the kitchen anyway: the pomegranate replaces vinegar in a winter salad, the plum rounds off dark sauces, and heated with cinnamon and orange peel, both become a non-alcoholic punch for cold evenings. A drop of apple juice in a baked apple never hurts, either.
If you prefer it velvety and sweeter, you will find your variety among the van Nahmen nectars—those looking for sparkling fruit will find what they need in the Frucht-Seccos, and tea-like, tart options await in the Sparkling Juicy Teas.
From the Lower Rhine to the Michelin-star menu
The fruit press is a family business that began in 1917 as an apple butter factory.
Today, star chefs like Tim Raue and Joachim Wissler serve these juices by the glass with their menus; at the restaurant Vendôme, a Master of Wine even put together a dedicated juice pairing menu. In 2025, the German Agricultural Society (DLG) awarded the fruit press the Federal Honorary Prize for fruit beverages—details can be found in the DLG list of award winners. Quite an achievement.
The full story of the family and their assortment can be found in the van Nahmen manufacturer portrait. Taste your way through the four varieties—and find the juice for the moment you are currently in.
