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Kiara Smith discovered juicing in 2019 while researching how it could aid in gut healing after her two-year-old son was diagnosed with a microbiome deficiency, which caused him terrible stomach pain and constipation.
She told Metro Times, “It was a really awful experience; a little two-year-old in the back seat bent over screaming, ‘My stomach hurts!’ every single day. As a mom, I wanted to resolve that, like this cannot be [his] life. He can’t be in pain every day.”
Smith gave her son a month of fresh beet, celery, and grape juice after becoming dissatisfied with the physicians’ ineffective therapies, and her son’s pain went away, he could use the bathroom again, and he returned to his “happy, busy self.”
Smith founded Fresh & Pressed Juice in Troy with the knowledge that aided her son’s rehabilitation. The company provides a variety of organic juices, smoothies, and smoothie bowls.
“We also are hosting my community events once a month where we’ll teach you about nutrition and things like that,” she said. “This is a community-based situation. This is not just, come in and pay for these expensive premium juices. No, you’re gonna get a juice, you’re gonna nourish your body and your soul, and you’re gonna learn something in the process, because I want to share what I know.”
Smith works on delivering fresh products to her customers every day. She told CBS News, “Everything that I do in this juice bar, Fresh and Pressed Juice, is an extension from my home. Everything went so smooth because I feel like it was just my time to do this.”
She also labels the juices in a way that serves as an affirmation to further promote positivity. “I’ve been a stay-at-home mom for six years, so this is a bold move for me,” she said. “I’m a mother of two busy, active children, and I have a husband that’s huge … But my family, we’re big on affirmations, so taking care of yourself and your mental [health] is very important. This just affirms that identity every day.”
