click to enlarge - Courtesy of JUEL Juice + Smoothies
First came the juice camper, then came the storefront. In White River Junction, JUEL Juice + Smoothies will open a smoothie bar and herbal products apothecary in a new commercial building at 27 North Main Street later this summer.
Cofounders Elena Taylor and Julie Sumanis, Upper Valley natives who met while working at Elixir restaurant years ago, began offering street-side juice service from a renovated 1965 Shasta camper last August. "We were busy enough [with the Shasta last summer], and it's a niche that's not anywhere to be found in the Upper Valley," Taylor said of the decision to go brick-and-mortar. "We felt that it would be well received."
The new spot will offer bottled juices and smoothies spun to order, along with grab-and-go baked goods, salads, grain bowls and soups. Coffee will come from Woodstock's Abracadabra Coffee Co., while teas will hail from Free Verse Farm & Apothecary in Chelsea. The fruits and veggies for the juices will be locally sourced, as will smoothie supplements ranging from Luce Farm CBD to algae from Northern Spirulina in Johnson.
The big idea: "Food is medicine," Taylor said. "We want our brand to foster this sort of holistic approach about eating and living well." In a retail area, Taylor and Sumanis plan to offer herbal tinctures, fire ciders and skin-care products. They'll also stock items geared to zero-waste living, such as reusable cups, straws and food-storage baskets. Packaging will reflect the pair's no-waste principles: glass bottles, paper straws, compostable boxes for to-go items.
JUEL Juice will be open Tuesday through Sunday starting in early August.