I decided 2014 is going to be the year of “the best I ever had” which means I need to go back to Ala Famiglia (a place I should’ve told you about already, but haven’t) to eat their amazing raspberry tiramisu, which is structured like tiramisu, but doesn’t taste a thing like it. It’s better. Way better. Believe me. But I’m not here to talk dessert, far from it. I’m here to talk juice.
On a quaint side street on the South Side (1330 Bingham St) is an up-and-coming juice bar. I hesitate to call it a juice bar as that evokes the idea of a smoothie bar squished in between a burger grill and chicken sandwich joint at the local mall food court. Fresh from the Farm Juices is none of that. In fact, those juice bars can’t even sit at the same table with Fresh from the Farm Juices.
Owner Ankit Goyal’s mother would cold-press fresh squeezed juice for her children every day during Goyal’s childhood, a tradition that instilled in him an ardor for organic, nutrient-packed fresh-squeezed juice. His passion comes through in the quality of his product.
Partnering with local farmers, Goyal combines bold flavors that keep customers coming back for more. The day we were there we tried four of the seven unique flavors. The kids’ favorite was Black and Yellow (an authentic Yinzer name!) featuring a combination of pineapple, orange, blackberry and lavender, a truly sweet and delightful blend.
I thought my favorite was going to be Limey Green (spinach, kale, apple, carrot, lime, cilantro) but I ended up falling in love with Restless Red, an earthy combination of apple, beet, carrot, lemon, ginger, and parsley. Oh.My.To.Die.For. (disclaimer: I love beets!)
In addition to the seven juice blends, Fresh from the Farm Juices also offers cleanse packages, salads based on seasonal ingredients, and a fresh twist on lemonade and limeade.
Goyal isn’t only nostalgic for good juice, he’s also a hard-liner for nutrition and finding the best process for his product. After experimenting with pasteurization and looking into UV light sterilization, he opted to go with High Pressure Processing (HPP), a process that uses high pressure at cold temperatures to kill bacteria and yeast that may be present in food products, extending shelf life and making it safer for mass consumption. By using a cold-press instead of a juicer and by choosing HPP, Fresh from the Farm Juices aren’t affected by heat, and therefore retain many of their valuable nutrients and fresh farm taste.
With up to 3 pounds of fruits and veggies (depending on the blend), they offer a nutrient-packed snack with a caloric intake hovering right around 100 calories per serving. Many of Goyal’s clients start by signing up for conveniently packaged cleanse plans and return for the individual bottles to supplement their daily food regimen.
The company is truly local. All their juicing and packaging happens at their South Side location. The only thing outsourced is the HPP process which happens in Philly at one of the few HPP facilities in the U.S.
Grace is one of Goyal’s loyal employees, handling everything from juicing to sales. She lived up to her name and was gracious enough to show our kids the ropes.
There was only so much Ryan could do so he played with the kitchen set making “smoovies” while the girls finished up some labeling.
Henry and I basically sat and drank juice and did a lot of “mmm-ing” and “wow-ing”.
After about an hour taking up Ankit’s and Grace’s time, we packed up the kids and headed back out into the snow promising the kids we’d come back soon.
Fresh From the Farm Juices delivers to many of the area suburbs including Wexford and Cranberry, and even goes as far as Butler. You can also get their juice in two area Giant Eagle’s – the one in Cranberry Mall and the one in Ligonier. Bottles retail for $5 each.
