Finding Eden in Midtown

When Ashley and Zach Plahn first opened Edenic Smoothies on March 1, they figured that business at their Midtown Ventura shop would be slow.

“I thought we’d be bored. I was going to take my staff and go out and hand out fliers during slow times,” says Ashley, who originally rolled out her smoothie business in a small school bus that she converted into a food truck with the help of her dad, Jerry Biggs. “I’m shocked. I kept thinking ‘Today will get slower.’ But it just stayed busy and grew.”

The couple says the shop in Midtown is an extension of their own cozy Pierpont home. They’ve decorated with a church pew salvaged from the San Buenaventura Mission, comfy benches and seats at tables, hanging lights, a piano, stools and bookshelves filled with old knickknacks and books, all set in a bright, light space that was once Ambrosia by Caffrodite.

Edenic Smoothies is also an extension of their Christian faith. The ingredients in the smoothies are all natural—and by “natural” they mean nothing artificial. “Ingredients found in God’s creation.”

At Edenic Smoothies, such offerings as the Seaster—a mixture of mango, pineapple, banana, honey, turmeric and coconut milk—vie for attention with Hälsa, a blend of green apple, celery, cucumber, avocado, spinach, pineapple, lemon, ginger, cayenne and coconut water.

“We currently source our ingredients from local restaurant suppliers who can provide us with organic ingredients,” says Ashley, but she’s working on getting more supplies from local farmers.

Ashley and Zach met in 2020 at a mutual friend’s house. “We were engaged for two and a half months and got married after three months,” says Zach. “When you know, you know.”

Zach grew up in Ventura County, going to Foothill High School, where he played on swim and water polo teams at Buena High School before Foothill had its own sports program. He went to The Master’s University, majoring in business, and works as a real estate financial adviser.

Ashley, who was originally from Poulsbo, Washington, also attended The Master’s University and majored in business, though she and Zach didn’t know each other then. During an entrepreneur class, Ashley created a business plan for a smoothie business, which came in handy later when she decided to summon the courage to go into business for herself.

She had been working for an aerospace company, but during the pandemic she began to feel restless. This just wasn’t how she saw her life unfolding.

“I said, ‘Babe, you’ve got to quit your job’” says Zach. “‘We have paid off our debt. What do you want to do?’”

Ashley, who never really shook the spark the college course had ignited in her, wanted to open a food truck for smoothies. The couple played their own version of “Shark Tank,” asking questions, making plans and weighing options. After finding and renovating the old bus, they needed to come up with a name. “The name is so important. We knew it had to be one word and punchy.” They wanted it to reflect their deep religious faith and their belief in eating only foods “made by God.” They felt the word “Edenic” perfectly reflected their mission.

The food truck launched and it was a slow start, Ashley says. They had anticipated this, so it wasn’t a strain. Over time, and with persistent marketing, word spread about Edenic Smoothies, and they became more popular, landing a spot at the Ventura County Fair.

One day, Ashley and Zach happened by chance to park in front of Caffrodite while they were considering a brick-and-mortar business, when they got into a conversation with Christine Burke, the owner, who was looking to rent the space.

Edenic Smoothies has been successful so far, with a warm reception from the neighborhood, where women from the various surrounding salons come in with aluminum foil in their hair to grab a smoothie mid-highlights.