As Juicy as it Gets

Kaua‘i Juice Co owners Dylan Scott and Kristal Muhich wanted to fill a void on the island when they opened their health-oriented business in January.

As the New Year rolled in, life got a lot sweeter for a Kaua‘i couple – and for several others on the island.

Dylan Scott and Kristal Muhich officially launched Kaua‘i Juice Co Jan. 7, in a retail location tucked in the back of the Dragon Building in Kapa‘a.

“We believe in juice,” Scott said.

Offering freshly squeezed juices and personalized cleanses, they said their clientele has quadrupled since the opening week.

“Kaua‘i Juice Co is essentially here for the community,” Muhich said. “We wanted to provide Kaua‘i with the same things that people on the Mainland can get; local organic juices and cleanses.”

She first went into business four years ago with Kaua‘i Kombucha, which now has 30 different accounts on the island.

A little over a year ago, Scott and Muhich got married. In March 2013, Scott sold his business, a popular bistro in Kapa‘a, and joined his wife’s business. Since then, they had been planning a rebranding to focus on juices made from organic and local produce as much as possible.

“It’s a growing industry and we wanted to get it on the island,” Muhich said.

They believe in their business model so much that part of the proceeds at Kaua‘i Juice Co goes to Hawai`i Seed, a nonprofit organization that educates people on natural agriculture.

On the skin, the company may seem like just another juice outlet, but it’s deep in the pulp where things become thicker.

“We are a compressed juice company that offers detox cleanses and kombucha,” said Muhich, who has been in the health industry for at least a decade.

They use a special juicer that presses the fruit without oxidizing the juice, she said. The result is a freshly squeezed juice that can last up to three days in the refrigerator without losing nutritional value. So a trip to the store is pretty much a grab-and-go; there’s no waiting 10 minutes for you drink to be made.

Each juice takes somewhere between 3 and 5 pounds of produce. Multiply that by six when you do a cleanse, which includes drinking six juice bottles a day, and you have eaten 20 to 30 pounds of produce each day for at least three days straight, the average for a detox.

“Cleanses are something people are freaking out over, they are so excited, they are extending their cleanses, doing them monthly,” Muhich said.

The cleanses can be picked up at their retail store, and are also available to be delivered. The store has five standard cleanses, but they do personalized ones, depending on the client’s needs.

Only a couple months into existence, Kaua‘i Juice Co may be still sprouting, but Muhich and Scott already have a vision and plans for expansion.

“Cleanses is where the majority of our business is going,” Muhich said.

Though their kombucha is in several retail spots on Kaua‘i, the juices are only available at the Kapa‘a outlet or through home delivery. Muhich and Scott said they are planning on having a small retail outlet on the South Shore, and possibly two on the North Shore.

Vicki Remmel moved back to Kaua‘i in January to help Muhich launch the new business. After all, their friendship goes back several years. Remmel said she has seen the business grow exponentially just from word of mouth.

People would try the juice, she said, and see how awesome they felt afterwards. Many became repeat customers and brought additional people, Remmel said.

“It’s been awesome,” Muhich said.

Kaua‘i Juice Co is open seven days a week, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Visit Kauaijuiceco.com or call 634-0996 for more information.