The Local Juice
Last year, Jen Villa and Nicole Cormier, founders of The Local Juice, began selling 16 oz. cold-pressed juices at their farmers’ market stand from Osterville to Orleans. The success of their juice has been growing ever since, but producing over 300 bottles a week in a shared commercial kitchen in Hyannis has presented them with some difficulties.
In just a few shorts months, however, they open their first location at 539 South Street, which not only promises a brand-new kitchen and juice bar, but a whole lot more than juice, with a local market full of produce, grains, and more. Cormier, a registered dietician for over eight years with a BS in Nutrition, says it’s the combination of juice with other local foods that promotes the long-term health of their customers.
“[Juice] does not replace your consumption of fruits and vegetables, you still need protein and fiber,” says Cormier, standing in front of the South Street store, still under construction. “We wanted to open a market, and provide the foods customers need to develop their own nutrition practice.”
Local Juice still places a premium, on, well, juice, says Cormier. She argues that juicing is still the best way for our bodies to absorb vitamins and minerals we need, but often don’t get with a multivitamin alone. But many other juicing companies take it too far, suggesting that their customers drink only juice for days on end to lose some extra pounds. “[Juicing] is not a fad or a cleanse to us," she says.
Cormier has engineered their juices as more of a multivitamin, tackling everything from high blood pressure to poor immune function. And, as an added bonus, she says, The Local Juice uses local produce and a cold-press juicing method, which give their product greater nutritional value and flavor than some other juice companies.
At $12 a bottle, there is a price to pay for sourcing locally. But, consider how much you spend on junk food during the day: maybe a bag of chips, a soda, and an ice cream. Cormier and Villa say that drinking juice, even a couple times a week, has changed their customers’ overall outlook on health and dieting for the better.
“We say [juicing] can be part of your life, or a part of your work-it- in-when-you-can. But when you incorporate juicing into your life, you're going to make better decisions in your food, and in your health," says Villa.
She hands me a bottle filled with beautiful, deep purple liquid and says it’s made from beets, fennel, lemon and kale, which were grown, in part, on Cape Cod. As it turns out, being healthy can taste good too.
Located on the lower floor, the juice bar and market will offer juices, smoothies, and other local products such as honey from E&T Farms in West Barnstable, and tomatoes from Cape Abilities Farm in Dennis. On the upper level, the building will have offices for nutritional workshops, counseling, and other special events.
In the meantime, customers can purchase their 16 oz. bottles of juice at the Barnstable Market in Barnstable Village, Cape Cod Beer Farmers’ Market in Hyannis, Chatham Farmers’ Market, Orleans Farmers’ Market, and Osterville Farmers’ Market. When their store opens at 539 South Street in Hyannis, customers will still be able to purchase The Local Juice goods at these locations.
- E.D. Kennedy
