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Business & Tech

Get Cleansed with New Nekter Juice Bar

The new Corona del Mar store considers itself the "anti-Jamba Juice."

East Coast Highway in Corona del Mar has a healthy new addition.

On Tuesday, Nekter Juice Bar opened with a positive buzz in the village. Several locals lined up to try its fresh fusions of vegetables and fruit, and the owners were excited too. Steve and Alexis Schulze said it was serendipitous that they were looking for another location for their Nekter Juice Bar—whose first location opened just four months ago in Costa Mesa. At the same time, the owner of the gelato shop, which previously sat at the juice bar location, was looking to close his doors.

"It just landed in our lap," she said. 

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Steve Schulze said their idea for the juice bar was prompted by the lack of healthy, natural and fresh options for juices in the area.

“My wife and I were surprised and overwhelmed by the sugar and preservative-laden juices and smoothies available in the area that were misleading consumers into thinking they were buying into a healthy lifestyle," he explained.  "As consumers ourselves, we sought out alternatives, all of which were hard to come by, and decided to create our own—one that was honest, affordable and accessible.”

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Nekter Juice Bar prides itself on being the anti-Jamba Juice. It offers juices and smoothies made with no sugar and all raw ingredients. And everything is freshly pressed. "If you want to go healthy, juice is the way to go," said Jeff DeBerry, the store's general manager. 

Smoothies and Juices

The smoothies and natural juices include antioxidants. The freshly pressed juices are made with nut milk and coconut water. In place of sugar, agave nectar is used. The juices range from 100-200 calories for a 16-ounce serving, and the smoothies are 200-250 calories. The "toxin flush" is a customer favorite. Its ingredients include parsley, spinach, apples, lemon and ginger. The drink is said to help rid the body of toxins in the blood and liver and soothe the stomach. In addition to smoothies and juices, Nektar Juice Bar also serves wheatgrass, organic hot tea and agave lemonade. 

Food and Snacks

There is a unique selection of food and snacks at Nekter that you are sure not to find anywhere else, including the donut holes made from a Brazilian nut with a maple orange glaze. "They are entirely raw except for the maple syrup," Schulze said. Other pre-made food includes vegan burgers, pasta, carrot cake, oatmeal cookies and Kinky Kale. Kinky Kale is dried kale in a nacho cheese flavor that tastes just like Doritos. "A 50 percent raw diet will give you all the enzymes so you can still eat all the bad stuff," said Alexis Schulze. 

Acai Bowls

The acai bowls' recipes were developed by Alexis Schulze and feature a blend of fruits, acai and vegan milk in a large cup. The acai tropical has acai, bananas, fresh pineapple and coconut milk  blended together on top of hemp seed granola and topped with raw coconut flakes and bananas. 

The Cleanse

The signature cleanse, which Nekter offered just one month after the  first store opening, has been a success. There are six drinks that are freshly pressed the night before you pick them up. Customers have a choice of a one-, two-, three- or five-day cleanse. You drink just the six drinks and try not to eat any food. The sixth drink is a nut milk (cashew-vanilla flavored). Although customers have lost weight on the cleanse, it is meant to give the organs a rest and detox the system. "The cleanse is a big thing. It's 45 pounds of cold pressed vegetables going into their body," DeBerry said.

Alexis Schulze suggests using the cleanse quarterly or just for a day after a long weekend of bad eating. The cleanse is not a fast and has plenty of nutrients and 1200-1500 calories. The benefits are not only internal, but external as well. "Your skin glows, and the whites of your eyes appear whiter," she said. "Lots of people quit smoking, quit coffee. It's a steppingstone to picking a healthier lifestyle choice." 

The store is at 2801 E. Coast Highway, near Goldenrod Avenue. Stop by Monday through Friday, from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. 

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