KEAAU — A Volcano couple is using their new cold-pressed juice and vegetarian eatery to help East Hawaii residents eat better.
In July, Puna and Ola Tripp opened Liquid Life in Keaau, which sells all-organic and locally sourced salads, smoothies, sandwiches, teas and juice blends.
Many Liquid Life menu items are sprinkled with superfoods such as acai, quinoa, turmeric and matcha powder. Most are packed with nutrient-rich veggies such as kale, zucchini, sweet potato, cucumber and beets — foods the Tripps say can help prevent health problems from developing later in life.
Puna, 24, and Ola, 27, are East Hawaii natives. Each say they’ve watched family members die prematurely of cancer, heart attacks and other illnesses which can be prevented in some cases. They say those tough experiences spurred them to open their own organic and health food juice bar in hopes of showing community members ways to eat healthy — but still tasty and affordable — food.
“A lot of those (ailments) are nutrient-deficiency related,” Ola Tripp said.
“We really started out wanting to help our family and help our future prevent various health-related situations. It’s not so rare for kids on the island to grow up without their grandparents because of health-related diseases or auto-immune diseases. So we wanted to try and offer something that can help combat that.”
The couple spent about a year renovating their leased storefront on Keaau-Pahoa Road. Previously they sold their juices at various local farmers markets which they said has helped them build up clientele and forge ties with local growers.
They’ve also hired on a handful of part-time employees and they’re gradually ramping up marketing efforts. They also have visited local schools and hosted field trip groups to discuss with local youth the importance of proper nutrition.
They say their menu can be an adjustment — at first — for those accustomed to less health-conscious diets.
Puna Tripp, who designed the menu, said she tried to add items with familiar local flavors — such as the Puna Poi Bowl which includes lomi tomato, warabi and poi.
They also said they aim to keep prices low — juices sell for $6 per bottle and other items range from $7 for smoothies to $11 for large salad bowls.
“It’s harder, especially because our prices are lower so the profit margins aren’t as high, but for us, it’s just enough to keep us going right now and that’s all that matters,” Puna Tripp said. “If we have enough to keep running, eventually more and more of the locals will find out and we’ll be here for them when they are ready to change their eating habits. Because eventually most of them are. We’ve been doing markets for a very long time, we talk to a lot of locals there and a lot of them are trying to make changes.”
The couple said they currently see about 40 customers per day. They hope to eventually see “a line out the door,” Ola Tripp said.
Liquid Life isn’t the only cold-pressed juice bar in East Hawaii: Loved by the Sun and Sweet Cane Cafe both sell juices and operate in Hilo. The Tripps say they’d actually like to see more juice bars open up.
“We look at it in a cooperative way,” Ola Tripp said. “We don’t really look at it as competing, we look at it as creating and working with other companies doing similar things. Because there’s really very few of us and there needs to be more. This is how our community is really going to be able to improve itself.”
Liquid Life is located at 16-566 Keaau-Pahoa Road No. 199. For more information, visit www.facebook.com/liquidlifehawaii or call 938-7462.
Email Kirsten Johnson at kjohnson@hawaiitribune-herald.com.
