Meet Stephanie Leach | Certified Juice Therapist & Certified Health Coach

We had the good fortune of connecting with Stephanie Leach and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Stephanie, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
I had been working as a certified juice therapist and health coach, helping people adopt a whole food, plant-based lifestyle that includes juicing to help them improve their heart health naturally. The clients that embraced the daily juice habit saw health improvements the fastest, so I knew the power of fresh fruit and vegetable juices.

In early 2022, there was no place in our area to buy organic, cold-pressed juice. My husband and I decided to test the market and invested in an entry level juice press. We leased commercial kitchen space and started with the juice delivery business model. We figured that if it didn’t take off, or if we didn’t enjoy it, we could sell our equipment at the end of the year and not be out too much financially.

The demand ended up being very good, and we loved the business, so we took the next step and opened up a small retail space.

What should our readers know about your business?
At Peak Press Juicery, we’re all about fueling your day with delicious, nutrient-packed goodness! We craft our products 100% organic, dairy-, peanut-, gluten-, and refined sugar-free—using real, raw ingredients. Our juices are delicious, cold-pressed, and bursting with vitamins, minerals, soluble fiber, and live enzymes, with no added water or nutrition-robbing high pressure processing like those grocery store brands.

Our smoothies and smoothie bowl bases are naturally sweetened with ripe bananas and fruit, and we skip the extra ice, sugar, and syrups for a pure, plant-powered treat. Plus, our oil-free, gluten-free granola is made right here in-house. It might cost a little extra to do it our way, but we believe your health is priceless.

To make it easier for our customers, we deliver our health-boosting recipes to a 12-mile radius, including Berthoud, Longmont, Mead, Frederick, Dacono, Hygiene, Lyons, Niwot, Erie, Gunbarrel and more.

I also enjoy providing personalized coaching to individuals wanting to reverse chronic conditions with the power of juice and a plant-forward diet and lifestyle. Seeing their transformation from frustrated and fearful to confident and energized is so rewarding!

Starting out, I had no food service experience, so there was definitely a learning curve. Food businesses can have some of the lowest profit margins, and juice business owners have the added challenge of working with a highly perishable product with a very short shelf life. We had to learn how much juice to make and how to manage the ebb and flow of a food business that definitely has seasonal highs and lows.

I started Peak Press Juicery part-time and grew it slowly. I had to learn to be at peace with our pace, growing steadily over a couple of years before making a significant time and financial investment to expand our offerings. I rely on trusted employees to run the juice shop on most days. I am able to manage remotely by keeping in touch with them throughout the day and being aware of every sale. And, of course, I am in there as often as possible, making juice and smoothies and serving customers. I also work our booth at the Longmont Farmers Market on Saturdays with my husband, April – November.

After being diagnosed with a rare cancer in February 2024, I doubled down on juicing and nutrition as vital components of my non-toxic cancer treatment. My personal experience has deepened my commitment to helping others overhaul their nutrition to support their own healing journeys. I also had to make some changes to my lifestyle to allow more time for healing. I had been working 7 days a week for 2 years, and that had to stop. I closed the shop on Sundays to give myself some downtime and bring more balance into my life.

What we eat, drink, think and do matters. Now more than ever.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Longmont has a growing number of restaurants that offer healthy options, including plant-based meals. Some of the restaurants that we enjoy include Collision, Flavor of India, and Rosa Cantina (their Coliflor Plate hits all the right notes!)

If the weather is nice, I’d take them on a picnic, walk or bicycle ride around McIntosh Lake at sunset, with stunning views of Mt. Meeker and Long’s Peak.

I’d also take them on a stroll through our historic downtown Longmont on one of the ArtWalk on Main evenings in Summer, or the Winter Walkabout Music Showcase in February, or any of the many other free events with music, food vendors and shopping.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I definitely couldn’t have done this alone. Here are the individuals and groups that were so helpful:

JK Juices, Ohio – Jordan and Loren are two sisters that operate a successful organic juice bar in Ohio. They also mentor other juice business owners in their JK Collective Business Training Group. They helped us get started, helping me understand the juice shop business, from formulating juice recipes to marketing and everything in between.

Juice Guru Institute – The Founder, Steve Prussack, and his team are all about helping Certified Juice Therapists develop a successful juice business. The training I received stregthened my understanding of juicing therapy and juice fasting. His support and encouragement has been invaluable.

Olivia Esquivel, Owner of Southern Pressed Juicery – Olivia is a successful juice bar owner and brand developer. I have collaborated with her to expand our offerings to include smoothies and smoothie bowls, refresh our logo, and further develop our marketing and sales.

Goodnature – Charlie Wettlaufer and his team provide best-in-class commercial juice presses and business consulting.

Chef Ari Sexner is a classically trained chef and juice bar consultant on the Goodnature team. He helped us develop our smoothie and smoothie bowl menu.

My husband, Doyle. Without his unflagging support, I wouldn’t be where I am today! I also couldn’t do this without the support of an amazing team in the juice shop.

Website: https://peakpressjuicery.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/peakpressjuicery

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/peakpressjuicery/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@StephanieLeach

Other: https://stephanieleach.com