By CRISTINA JANNEY
Hays Post
The Otter Juice Co. is set to open next Thursday, Feb. 1, at 2306 Vine in Hays.
Jess and Curt Braun, owners, will offer 10 juices plus a make-your-own option. The juice bar will also offer a weekly smoothie option, coffee and an assortment of pastries.
Both Jess and Curt juice for their health and are excited to offer a clean eating/drinking option in Hays. All the ingredients in the beverages will be fresh. Jess even makes her almond milk from scratch.
“I am passionate about two things — animals and clean eating — and there is no place to eat clean here,” Jess said. “We love to juice. It is so healthy. We juice everyday.”
Most of us don’t get enough fruits and vegetables, and juicing is an easy way to get the nutrition your body needs, she said.
Jess said juicing is a good way to lose or maintain weight as well.
Unlike cooking vegetables, juicing preserves the nutrients, Curt said. No sugar is added to the smoothies or juices.
The Brauns insist getting your daily serving of fruits and vegetables doesn’t have to be chore.
Take, for instance, the Red Otter, one of the juice bar’s drinks. It contains beets, pineapple, apple and ginger. This is one of Curt’s favorite drinks, but he normally hates beets. You can’t taste the beets over the sweetness of the pineapple and apple, he said.
If you want something savory with a little kick, the Sassy Otter contains cucumber, celery, carrots, jalapeno, parsley, tomato and spinach.
Jess said juices can be a way parents can sneak some vegetables into kids’ diets.
Jess used the example of the Funky Monkey smoothie, which will be the Otter’s first smoothie offering next week. It has peanut butter and chocolate almond milk in it.
“When my daughter was doing the sign for me, she gets down to the peanut butter and said, ‘What else did you say?’ I said kale and spinach and she goes, ‘Oh, you just ruined it.’ I swear you cannot taste the kale and spinach in there. That is a kid-friendly smoothie right there even for kids that don’t like veggies because you cannot taste them.”
Jess said she hopes to eventually offer a juice flight, which will allow customers to try a variety of juices so they can see what they like.
The pastries, which will include bagels, scones and muffins will be made from scratch and will be all plant based, which means no eggs or butter.
That doesn’t mean they aren’t good, Jess said. Her baked goods have a handful of natural, fresh ingredients compared to a supermarket bagel, which might have a list of 20 ingredients, including preservatives.
Jess uses both hemp seed and chia seed in her muffins and bagels. Hemp seed is a good source of protein and omega fatty acids, and chia seed is a good source of protein and fiber.
Otter Juice will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays. The Brauns have made an agreement with Sake2Me, which is next door, so dinners in the that restaurant can order juices and smoothies if they wish.
Otter Juice has a Facebook page and is developing an ap. Customers will be able to order through the ap and have their orders delivered curbside. The Brauns had hoped to have a drive through, but that is not possible at their present location.
A 10 percent discount is offered with student ID, and customers can buy reusable Otter jars that will earn them a 50 cent discount on beverages.
Most juices will run $6 each, which fresh orange juice $4, smoothies $5 and coffee $1.25. Pastries will be $2 to $3 each.
The decor in the building is a happy yellow. The Brauns used reclaimed and recycled materials as much as possible. The tables were made from old pallets and are painted with rainbow colors and encouraging sayings. On the walls are pictures of cute otters.
The straws and cups will be compostable.
Why otters? Jess, who is also a vet, said, “Otters are just so cute. I love otters. … Otters are fun, and they are carefree and are super cute.”
Once the business gets up and going, the Brauns would like to give a portion of the proceeds from the juice bar to an otter conservation organization.