Hempfield's Fruits & Roots serves up cold-pressed juices, smoothies

Tracey Bryant was a stay-at-home mom for 22 years before a change in her diet prompted an entrepreneurial endeavor.

“I wanted something for myself, my own thing,” says Bryant, 52, of Unity.

And after watching documentaries, including “Forks Over Knives” and “Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead,” she says, a seed was planted.

“That got me thinking. What we eat affects how we feel. I became whole-food, plant-based 2½ years ago,” Bryant says. She researched everything she could on diet.

“I bought a little home juicer and started juicing at home. I thought about becoming a plant-based nutritionist or opening up a juice bar. Here we are,” Bryant says.

In July, she opened what she calls the Greensburg area’s first juice bar, Fruits & Roots, in the Old 30 Plaza in Hempfield, behind Westmoreland Mall.

She offers organic cold-pressed juices, smoothies and smoothie bowls, along with house-made granola bars and oil-free, vegan muffins.

Promoting healthy eating

Juicing, she says, extracts insoluble fiber and leaves the vitamins and nutrients: “Nothing is added, no water.”

“It’s definitely a word-of-mouth business,” she says. “We have people that come every day. We have lots of regulars. People tell me, ‘It’s about time Greensburg had a place,’ or ‘At the beach we could get these,’” Bryant says.

Her menu includes gluten-free items and “super food” add-ins, such as acai, chia and hemp seeds.

“We try to put at least one super food in each smoothie,” she says.

She can provide the quantity of ingredients in menu items for customers who are counting calories.

Colorful, tasty choices

Friends Nicole Henson, 42, of Belle Vernon and Amy Benning, 40, of Latrobe often stop in after playing tennis at the Greensburg Racquet Club.

During a recent visit, both ordered pumpkin chip muffins. Benning also tried a banana bread smoothie, while Henson dug into a dragon bowl and downed a turmeric shot.

“I try to eat healthy. (Henson) told me about it and we started coming. It’s something different for the community, too. There is nothing like it around here,” Benning says.

Order up

Fruits & Roots offers table and counter seating in a bright, high-ceiling setting.

Bowls, served with house-made granola, include Acai (mixed berries, banana, acai, chia seeds, almond milk), Dragon (pineapple, strawberries, banana, pitaya, coconut milk), Chocolate Peanut Butter (banana, peanut butter, maca, chia seeds, cacao, almond milk) and Mermaid (pineapple, mango, banana, Blue Majik, coconut milk). They are $11.50 each.

Organic, raw, cold-pressed juices ($8) are available in Simply Celery (100% celery), Lean Green (green apple, kale, parsley, celery, cucumber, ginger), Sweet Green (kale, apple, cucumber, lemon), Lemon Drop (apple, lemon, ginger), Carrot Refresh (carrot, apple, lemon, ginger, turmeric), Tropical Twist (watermelon, pineapple, orange) and Beet Vitality (beet, carrot, apple, lemon).

Super Food Smoothies ($7.50) come in Strawberry Banana (strawberry, banana, date, pumpkin seeds, vanilla, almond milk), Nutty Green (banana, strawberries, spinach, hemp seeds, peanut butter, almond milk), Café Cooler (cold brew coffee, banana, vanilla, date, cacao, maca, almond milk), Blue Wave (mango, pineapple, banana, Blue Majik, coconut milk), Chocolate Cherry (cherries, banana, date, spinach, cinnamon, cacao, almond milk), Mixed Berry (banana, berries, acai, chia seeds, almond milk, house-made almond butter), Banana Bread (banana, oats, date, vanilla, chia seeds, cinnamon, almond milk, almond butter) and Golden Glow (mango, banana, turmeric, vanilla, maple syrup, cinnamon, almond milk).

Bryant also sells cold brew and anticipates adding French press coffee and steel-cut oat bowls to her menu soon.