Hometown Juice & Co

Many people start business ventures in a controlled manner. Particularly when creating a product, they start the business from their homes and enlist the support of friends and family to build a grassroots following. That’s just not the case for longtime friends Megan Babiarz and Heather Wilson. “Nope, we just jumped in with both feet,” Babiarz recalls. The splash occurred just over a year ago when the pair opened Hometown Juice & Co in the Canterbury Plaza on Cotuit Road in Sandwich. Freshly made-to-order juices and smoothies are the order of the day, but the menu has so much more to offer.

Upon entering, it’s difficult to determine which sense is triggered first. The aroma of freshly-cut and -squeezed fruit and vegetables fills the shop. The look of the place is equally appealing. The wire racks along the back wall are a palette of color with apples, oranges, lemons, bananas and pineapples piled high. The lemon wheel logo of Hometown Juice & Co fills the wall inside the door to let you know you’ve come to the right place. The locally-sourced products for sale are on display in cleverly arranged crates, and the shiplap-adorned wall that separates the blenders from the buyers all combine to give a bright and airy appearance which seems to have been completed a week ago, not over a year ago.

The toughest part of the visit is next. What to get? With ten different juices and nine smoothies (or make up your own combination) from which to choose, it’s not easy. Flavor combinations run wild, from the Bee Sweet smoothie with strawberry, blueberry, acai, local honey and Greek yogurt, to the zesty Detox Zinger featuring pineapple, orange, spinach, romaine, cilantro and jalapeno for the kick. A crowd favorite is the Hometown Hero. Cape Cod Coffee cold brew is frozen into ice cubes and blended with almond milk, cocoa nibs, peanut butter and banana for a tasty treat that is also a vital pick-me-up.

The menu at Hometown Juice & Co has other offerings you can really sink your teeth into. Their line of toasts featuring Pain D’Avignon bread (gluten free, if desired) has several choices, including the Twisted Apple, with Backward Al’s Twisted Apple Jelly (from Plymouth), apple, peanut butter and chia seeds. Sometimes the simplest is the best with the Avo Toast, a straightforward stack of avocado and tomato sprinkled with Chatham’s 1830 Sea Salt. Add to this a few different bowls, a couple of salads and soup options in the cooler months and you have a wealth of choices.

“It was a long process to come up with the menu,” Babiarz admits. It’s ever evolving, too. Recently the duo added The Hometown Cleanse. A one- to six-day program where you receive six juices per day. As their informational sheet on the cleanse states: “This is not meant to be a diet or a fad…it’s a reset.” It comes with before-, during- and after-cleanse tips to make the most out of the detoxification process.

Hometown Juice & Co continues to gain in popularity. New customers come in every day, but it’s the returning clientele, many of whom are greeted by name, that demonstrates the lasting impression Hometown Juice & Co has made on people and this is something for which Wilson and Babiarz are most grateful. As Wilson says, “It’s so cool that it’s become part of their routine.” No doubt that’s due to Hometown Juice & Co’s menu being filled with flavor fusions that are anything but routine.

Hometown Juice & Co
331 Cotuit Road, Sandwich
774-205-2141 / hometownjuicebar.com