Hello Juice co

Feb 12, 2024

Jen and Jon Maness, owners of Hello Juice.

Hello Juice's smoothie bowls and juices.

On the surface, Jon Maness doesn't seem to fit Hello Juice & Smoothie's typical clientele. "I grew up as a construction worker," Jon says. "I've been a logger, a bartender. I didn't even eat fruits and vegetables, right?"

That all changed due to his wife Jen's spontaneous nature. "Jen can be a little impulsive," Jon says. "I'm sitting on our porch smoking a cigarette, and she comes out like, 'Hey, we should buy a juice bar.'"

At the time, the original Hello Juice owners were looking to bring in new owners to help with operations. Now, the Manesses are all in and fully own Hello Juice themselves, serving approachable, health-focused smoothie bowls, salads and of course, cold-pressed juice made entirely from whole fruits and vegetables.

Jen was always into health and wellness; she's a certified yoga instructor and has been juicing at home for years. For Jon, it was a bit more of a learning curve, but now he's at the store every day, manning the 1-ton cold press machine.

Hello Juice's Kathy cold-pressed juice.

Hello Juice's juices are all made using the cold press method. The cold press machine is specifically designed to grind the fruits and vegetables into juice without using heat. This helps it retain around 70 percent of the fruit and vegetables' vitamins and minerals, which are usually lost in the pasteurization method typically used to make juices you'd find in the grocery store. For example, one bottle of Kathy green juice could contain the nutrients you'd get from eating a whole bunch of kale, a bunch of celery, a couple of apples and a lemon. Jon says incorporating healthy options like this into his diet was life-changing.

"It really got its hooks in me," Jon says. "It really changed me. I went from no exercise, no fruits and vegetables to [running] 10 miles the other day. I don't ever go a day without a juice or a smoothie. I lost a bunch of weight and I fixed a bunch of stomach problems."

Hello Juice's smoothie bowls.

In addition to working on his own health, Jon and Jen have made it a point to make Hello Juice approachable to everyone, from the menu items to the atmosphere – no matter where they are in their health journey (if they're even on one).

"For Jon, managing the day-to-day operations is just making this accessible for people," Jen says. "Like, a construction worker can come in and get a green bowl and feel awesome – people who maybe wouldn't typically eat healthy."

Jon adds, "It's funny. A lot of times, those [people] end up being shockingly loyal customers."

You can find Hello Juice's juice at both of the company's locations in Forest Park Southeast and in Kirkwood, Missouri. If you're curious about the cold press process, the Manesses will give you a tour of their operation.

Hello Juice & Smoothie, multiple locations, St. Louis, Missouri, hellojuiceandsmoothie.com

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