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Big Love Juice

Everyone wants to start the new year fresh. Fresh goals, maybe a fresh new haircut or a few fresh additions to the wardrobe. But how about fresh food? This year, stop into one of two locations of Big Love Juice. Located in downtown Bellingham in the Herald building and in historic Fairhaven, Big Love Juice offers customers a menu full of fresh options unlike anywhere else in town. Customers will find cold press juice, smoothies, acai bowls, salads, espresso, tea, and homemade toast stacked high with toppings. The wide variety and reasonable prices make the health food cafe stand out from others like it. “We want to make healthy food as accessible as we can for as many people possible,” says Elisa Brackenhofer, Big Love Juice public relations person. The company name is meant to convey the business’ mission to provide all kinds of customers an inclusive space with a healthy, fresh menu, she said.

The downtown Bellingham location opened in March of 2018 and was quickly followed by the second location opening in Fairhaven in June. In addition to the two cafes, Big Love Juice also operates a cheery event space also open to customers, the Big Love Juice Boardroom, connected by a hallway to the Fairhaven shop.

The foundation of Big Love Juice’s menu lays with cold press juice, which is unlike traditional fruit and vegetable juices due to the juicing process. Cold press juice — raw, organic and unpasturized — is made through a hydraulic press, rather than high heat methods that eliminate much of the vitamins and nutrients found in fruits and vegetables. The menu features seven cold press juice blends ($6.49 for 12 oz. and $6.99 for 16 oz.) as well the option for a pure juice or a create-your-own blend. Customers looking for something a little heartier can also pick from 10 smoothie options for the same price as cold press juice. Soups, salads, bowls and loaded toasts make Big Love Juice a spot for a full meal as well. For breakfast try the More Love Morning Bowl, which features granola, your choice of vegan coconut yogurt, goat or cow yogurt from Gothberg Farms in Bow or Samish Bay, blueberries, strawberries, apples, and toasted almonds for $8.29. For something greener at lunch, the Simple Green Bowl ($9.99) offers a delicious combination of spinach, microgreens, cabbage, bean sprouts, carrots, beets, blueberries, all topped with a lemon vinaigrette.

While all this talk of sprouts, cold press juice and vegan yogurt can be intimidating, Brackenhofer recommends a simple solution for newbies — choose menu items that just sound “yummy,” she says. “You don’t have to make a huge life change.” For people looking to get a taste, Big Love Juice features a three-day bundle program where customers can take home enough juice, smoothies, and/or Mighty Mini superfood wellness shots for three days. The Refresh bundle comes with three cold press juices, six Mighty Minis, and three tulsi-lavendar infusions for $45 (tulsi, also known as “holy basil,” has Hindu roots and is known for its therapeutic properties). Each juice, smoothie or infusion is prepared in advance, bottled and ready to be enjoyed.