New Juice, Smoothie Bar Aiming for March 10 Opening

The owner of a new juice and smoothie bar in downtown Portsmouth says he's hoping to open on March 10.

Owner Aaron Smith said The Fresh Press, located at 90B Fleet St., will offer not only raw juice and smoothies, but also food like fresh made salads, Acai bowls and nut butter sandwiches.

Smith said he's spent the past eight years traveling the world as a professional BMX rider, and that taught him a lot about eating healthy.

"To be able to continuously ride and beat up your body every day, you have to stay healthy and fit. This led me into learning more about nutrition, exercise and what foods to stay away from," he said. "What it comes down to is pretty basic, you keep an active lifestyle and you eat whole foods such as fruits, vegetables, nuts, legumes and quality locally raised meat. So while traveling I have been into a lot of different juice bars across the U.S. I have always wanted to open a juice bar or organic cafe, and the opportunity recently came to fruition when I proposed the idea to my dad. He loved the idea, so we made up a business plan and decided Portsmouth would be a great spot."

Smith said he's been to the Juicery "a couple dozen times" and thinks they do a great job. But he thinks there's enough room for another juice bar downtown.

"I am not trying to step on their toes, I just believe this town has enough people that live a healthy, active lifestyle to support multiple juice/smoothie shops," he said. "Who doesn't like options? They might offer something that we don't and vice versa."

Smith said The Fresh Press will eventually be offering cold press juices that will be bottled daily.

"For those who don't have the time to wait, they can just grab and go, still knowing they are getting a fresh juice with no preservatives or GMOs," he said. "The cold press method gently and slowly grinds the produce into a fine pulp. It is then pressed together by placing 2,000 pounds of pressure on the pulp to extract every last drop. This results in a superior flavor, but also five times the amount of vitamins, trace minerals and enzymes."

Smith said The Fresh Press will have lots of seating as well as wifi for those who need to stay connected while eating lunch.

The Fresh Press is taking over the space formerly occupied by Dolce Freddo Gelato. Smith said the owner of the gelato shop has three other stores in Massachusetts and didn't have enough time to put into the Portsmouth location. People in Portsmouth really love his gelato, though, so Smith said he will sell a few flavors at his juice bar.

"He makes a great product – all the gelato is locally made by him in Massachusetts," he said. "So for those who loved it they can still come in and get some."