Henderson now has a juice, smoothie bar

Henderson Juice Co. owner Emily Hunter poses with her youngest child, Devin, in front of the menu board.

HENDERSON, Ky. - Henderson now has a juice and smoothie bar offering healthy drinks, soups, wraps, breakfast items and snacks.

The Henderson Juice Co. opens its doors to the public Tuesday at 13 South Main St. in downtown Henderson, sharing the Studio 3 space with Yoga Alternative and Whisper Ministries.

As the sign out front says, it's all about "Mind. Body. Spirit."

Henderson Juice Co. owner and creator Emily Hunter said it's always been her mission to help people live healthy.

"I got halfway through nursing school and realized that passing pills was not what I wanted to do," the 33-year-old with a Registered Nurse certificate said. "But I still did it anyway for seven years. And then I went to school to be a health coach, and I did that for a couple years."

She said she's mentored people about nutrition one-on-one, and also in workshops. "But it's always been my dream to open up something like this, because we eat this way at home."

A bottle of fresh-pressed Orange Rabbit containing the juice of carrots, oranges, green apples and lemons awaits customers on Monday at Henderson Juice Co.

Hunter is married to Darryl Hunter, and has four kids -- baby Devin and then three girls: Braelyn, Kasha, and Layla.

She said she isn't breaking new ground with this healthy way of eating, drinking and snacking. "I think people have caught on enough now that they want it. They know they want healthy food, it's just where are they going to get it."

That's where the Henderson Juice Co. comes in.

The storefront food stop, in a shared business space directly across from Central Park on Main Street, has a variety of offerings to cover just about any time of day. (Henderson Juice Co. is open 7:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesday to Friday, and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturdays)

There's breakfast items such as overnight oats and oatmeal along with breakfast or snack cookies that focus on wholesome ingredients such as almonds, raisins and even dairy-free chocolate.

Aside from the three main cold-pressed juices  -- Orange Rabbit, Pineapple Express and We Got the Beet -- there's also a variety of fresh-made smoothies, veggies wraps and veggie-based soups.

As for the bottled-on-site, cold-pressed juices, "that means it's never been heated, so it has the most live enzymes and the most nutrients. It's the best juice you can get. It only lasts about four or five days because it's so pure. We press it ourselves." 

Pressing fruits and veggies into juice, Hunter said, gives the body a direct shot of nutrients. "So when you drink one 12-ounce of our Orange Rabbit, it's a whole pound of carrots off of that .... Since the fiber is gone, it goes immediately into your cells." (The Orange Rabbit also has juice from oranges, green apples and lemons.)

Extras that can be added into smoothies await customers that will arrive on Tuesday.

The soup offering on the opening day will be Roasted Red Pepper and Zucchini.

And the wraps all contain raw greens and veggies bundled up in a spinach tortilla.

Hunter stressed that she will be happy to talk with people about their specific health needs, offer samples and customize offerings wherever possible.

"Something you can feel good about eating, that's my whole goal here," said Hunter.

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