Southern Sqweeze will bring fresh, organic juice to the Riverview neighborhood by mid-April, according to shop owner Kelsey Vasileff.
The storefront, tucked away behind Farmer’s Daughter on Hixson Pike, will feature fresh juice, salads, energy bars and other healthy treats made by Vasileff, who is also a yoga instructor at local studios like Hot Yoga Plus and Yoga Landing.
“I have always juiced off and on, ever since I was little,” she said. “It wasn’t really my intention to open up a juice bar. I always had the intention to do something that would go hand in hand with teaching yoga … and bettering yourself, and it just kind of fell into place.”
Vasileff utilizes a cold-press juicing method, which is largely preferred by juice-lovers over centrifugal and masticating juicers, she said. The process doesn’t use any heat, hence the name, which allows the juice to keep more of the nutrients of the produce.
During the juicing process, Vasileff first grinds the produce to an applesauce-like consistency before placing it in special cloths. Those cloths are then pressed, with 2,500 pounds of hydraulic pressure, to squeeze the maximum amount of juice out to drink, she explained.