A woman walks into Pure Natural Juice in Santa Maria and greets owner Erik Lachino warmly in Spanish. She’s a regular—at least for the three months the juice bar has been open—who likes to stop by a couple of times a week. Today, she needs a juice that will help reduce inflammation. Lachino recommends something with celery. People typically think that the green, fibrous vegetable doesn’t have much dietary value, but it turns out it’s a natural anti-inflammatory and it’s also a good source of Vitamin C.
The woman later explains that her nephew recently broke his leg playing soccer and she’s getting him the juice to help with the swelling. In addition to the health benefits, she said she loves the flavors Lachino concocts using his juicer.
“It smells so good when you do that,” she said as Lachino dropped fruit and veggies into the juicer. “It’s like a wakeup call!”
Lachino said he got in the juicing business to make people happy and healthy.
“I really like healthy eating and I want to help the people do the same thing,” he said. “There are too many diseases.”
Lachino is no stranger to providing high-quality food service. For the past 11 years, he’s worked the banquet shift at the Radisson Hotel as a meat cook.
“I cook filet mignon, fish, chicken—everything—but I don’t eat red meat,” he said. “I cook it and I carve it, but I don’t eat it.”
Lachino started Pure Natural Juice as a side business to offer the local community more dietary options. His menu features juice combinations both popular and unconventional, including orange-carrot-pineapple juice and cucumber-carrot-beet juice. Customers can pick something off the menu or pick from a cornucopia of produce to make their own juice creation.
If they’re looking for something a little thicker, there are smoothies, such as “Just Dew It,” which is made of honeydew melon, apple juice, pineapple juice, and low-fat vanilla yogurt, or “Stay Young,” which combines plain, low-fat yogurt with blueberries, strawberries, green tea, ground flax seeds, and agave nectar.
All of the produce comes from local growers, Central Coast Produce in Nipomo and Valley Spud in Santa Maria. The help is also local: Lachino hired his cousin, Violeta, to work shifts during the week and another local girl to work on the weekends.
Lachino also has non-liquefied options, such as sandwiches, salads, and wraps. The health-nut also decided to splurge a little by offering waffles, which he thought of while serving brunch at the Radisson.
“The little kids are always happy when they see the waffles,” he said with a big smile.
Menu options include whole-wheat or regular waffles with chocolate chips, coconut, bananas, or apple cinnamon.
Lachino said business has been going well so far.
“[Business] is good. I’m so excited! People are happy, and when they’re happy, I’m happy,” he said. “I’ve been thinking about doing this for a long time and now I’m finally here.”
Pure Natural Juice is located at 3480 Orcutt Road in Santa Maria.
For more information, visit purenaturaljuice.com or call 361-0250.
Managing Editor Amy Asman wrote this week’s Biz Spotlight. Information should be sent to the Sun via fax, e-mail, or mail.
This article appears in Oct 31 – Nov 6, 2013.