CI Juice Hits the Spot
Opening a new restaurant or other food business is grueling and fraught with uncertainty even in the best of times. Opening during a worldwide pandemic is much worse, according to Robby Golden and Sean Bayly, who are partners in Channel Islands Juice Company, which now has two stores in Ventura.
Originally a subscription juice service, Channel Islands Juice Company was founded about four years ago by Melanie Clow. The juices are all organic, sourced as locally as possible, un-pasteurized and cold pressed using a hydraulic press. Now, in addition to the juice company’s original location on Thompson Boulevard in Ventura, Golden and Bayly have opened a small juice bar/food store on Loma Vista Road, right by Ventura’s two hospitals.
“When we opened the Loma Vista store [in early January] there obviously was a mask mandate in place. People were still displaced by COVID,” says Golden. “It’s getting better now and we fully expect a Ventura stampede by summer.
“Part of our business model is to join the health revolution that is occurring post-COVID,” he continues. “People are aware of their diets. They are learning food interactions with the body. We believe that we are in the midst of a renaissance in health and wellness now that everyone has been given a first-hand glance at how important health is. So we offer wellness shots, detox shots and cold-prevention shots to help keep immune systems up.”
From the Anacapa juice—a mixture of carrots, green apple, ginger, turmeric and bee pollen, which provides an immunity boost and anti-inflammatory properties—to the Oil Dereks shots—which provide an energy boost of cold brew or nitro coffee with vegan milk of choice—the Channel Islands Juice Company offers healthy juices to supplement the diet. There are also cleanse programs using the juices, which are offered by subscription.
Golden and Bayly met in the middle of the pandemic when Bayly was looking for a new place to live and answered an ad to share Golden’s apartment.
“I met Rob through Craigslist. I passed on his apartment, but we ended up being friends. After six months of friendship, we realized we had a strong synergy. So we decided, with his background in sales and mine in food service, to go into business,” says Bayly.
Bayly is originally from Maui, before he moved to Santa Rosa and then to Santa Barbara, where he was a restaurant manager of Pizza of My Heart. Golden says he worked in corporate sales before his journey to wellness led him to the world of foods as medicine.
“I was diagnosed with an autoimmune disorder in late 2017 in part because of poor diet and work-related stress,” says Golden. “Once I discovered health and wellness through diet, my life shifted dramatically [I quit my corporate career] and not only did I reverse the auto-immune disease, but my overall quality of life increased dramatically as I became clearer, more energetic, and much less encumbered by anxiety, depression, ADD and other mental ails that seem to be so ubiquitous in our modern daily life.”
“We focus on vegetarian and vegan offerings that are rich in antioxidants with secondary benefits, like the acai bowl,” says Bayly of the Loma Vista store, adding that the healthy grab-and-go items are geared toward medical professionals and visitors to the hospitals.
Bayly and Golden believe Channel Islands Juice Company will grow as people learn about the health benefits of their juices.
"One of my mantras is ‘Be like bamboo: bend but don’t break.’ Be spontaneous and zig and zag as the markets change, which they always do,” says Bayly. “Our long-term goal is to grow CI Juice and expand our radius, while we open other locations. Health and wellness is trending, especially at the tail end of the pandemic. An ounce of prevention is worth it. Maintaining a healthy lifestyle in mind and diet are all preventions.”
Channel Islands Juice Company 291 E. Thompson Blvd., Ventura, 805-607-8088 2991 Loma Vista Rd., Ventura, 805-628-3608 Website: ChannelIslandsJuice.com
