On Friday afternoons, Stephanie Leach loads pounds of fresh produce into a juicer, making a batch of juice to sell over the weekend. She opens her shop, Peak Press Juicery, located at 1515 Main St. every Saturday, Sunday and Monday, bringing the complex world of juicing to Longmont residents.
Certified Juice Therapist and Health Coach, Stephanie Leach, took it upon herself to make juices accessible to the Longmont, Mead and Berthoud area after she noticed the lack of accessibility to juices.
“As an avid juicer, I often wish there was a place I could just go buy it sometimes. It’s not always convenient to make it yourself at home,” Leach said.
Stephanie Leach and her husband Doyle Leach toyed with the idea of opening up a juicery and decided to test out their business idea through a juice delivery model. They bought their first commercial juicer, leased kitchen share space and began taking orders. On the couple’s 30th wedding anniversary, April 3, 2022, the couple juiced their first batch for the public.
With a successful trial run, the Leach family opened the doors to their brick-and-mortar store in July 2022. Juices, wellness shots and “mylks” are available for purchase at Peak Press Juicery.
Leach’s favorite juice is the Orchard Greens, a green juice packed with celery, apple, kale, parsley, lemon and ginger. It’s tasty and has an abundance of nutrient value, Leach said.
In contrast to juices found in grocery stores, peak Press Juicery uses a cold press method of juicing. The organic produce is chopped up finely with a grinder and the pulp is placed in a press bag. Two steel plates press the juice with thousands of pounds of force and create a smooth juice, Leach said. The cold press method improves shelf life and ensures no important nutrients are lost.
“Juices that you find in the grocery store are made so they can sit in a steel container for a year, but fresh juice lasts about 4 days,” Leach said.
Peak Press Juicery also offers “mylks” made from almonds or pumpkin seeds. The almonds go through a similar cold press process as the fruit and vegetables in juices. Superfood ingredients are added to create a nutritious beverage.
Leach recommends incorporating juices or mylks into your day as supplements to your meals. A twelve-ounce juice a day provides some of those nutrients and can be added to your meal plan or act as a meal replacement, according to Leach.
“Research proves you need ten servings of fruits and vegetables a day to protect against illnesses. Some people drink the juice first thing in the morning, replacing coffee with it and avoiding the caffeine crash,” Leach said.
April will bring a Spring Cleanse Event, the last three weekends of April, at Peak Press Juicery and the Leach family is eager to welcome Longmont residents through their doors.
“People from Longmont and Berthoud have expressed their gratitude that they can now buy juice. It’s more accessible and we hope more people can come to try our juice,” Leach said.