It seems like a juice bar is never far away these days, thanks in part to Hayden Slater, co-founder of Pressed Juicery. Slater caught on to juicing before the trend, initially as a means to feel better and get healthy as a college student. Later, he experienced his first cleanse, a five-day program where he would only drink juice that ended up lasting 30 days while on holiday in Thailand.
Four years after its debut at a tiny storefront in Brentwood, Pressed Juicery is on pace to open 34 locations in the first quarter of this year, mostly in LA and Southern California.
“I’d like to say slow and steady, but it’s probably been fast and steady since Day 1,” says Slater, who founded the company with Carly de Castro and Hedi Gores.
We talked more with him in an interview about his neighborhood in Venice, his favorite hangouts and how he found a passion for juicing.
How long have you lived in LA and what neighborhood do you call home?
I was actually born in LA and I’m the third generation of my family. I’m currently over in Venice.
What do you like most about that neighborhood?
It’s a community. There’s something about Venice that’s just so alive—the people and the food. My home door is always open, and there are people coming in and out. I love that you can walk and ride your bike and with all of that, you have the beach right there.
What are some of your favorite hangouts?
I love just going down to the beach. For restaurants, I’m very sad that Axe is closing because that’s my go-to but Gjelina and Gjusta and Gjelina Take Away are great spots. I’m not a huge coffee drink but Blue Bottle just opened, which is nice.
When was the moment where you really got involved in juicing?
I was born and raised in LA and went to college in New York. I was a film student and I was kind of unhappy and overweight, living in a fog. I had a teacher who introduced me to juice, and it was about that time—I want to say 2008—that I began starting my day off with a juice.
It really changed me. I know it sounds so small, but if you start your day off with a juice, you just feel different. It was kind of that catalyst for living a healthier life.
Later, I moved back to LA and was working in production. When my show wrapped, I went to southeast Asia for about six months by myself. I decided to do a juice cleanse for five days but ended up doing it for 30 days. As corny as it sounds, by the end of it I had never felt so alive. When I returned home, I had that moment where I realized I couldn’t take that knowledge and feeling that I had and not pursue it professionally. That’s how Pressed Juicery started with my two of my closest friends, Hedi and Carly, who shared the same passion for the product.
How do you last 30 days without eating solid food?
First off, I personally am a big advocate for cleansing but it’s not for everyone. You really have to just listen to your body. For me, Day 2 and Day 3 were really challenging having never done a cleanse before. By the time I got to Day 5, I just started feeling great. Everyday, I started feeling better and better.
Granted, I was on a beach in Thailand and didn’t have to deal with the day-to-day of working and all that stress. I don’t know if I could easily jump into a 30-day cleanse now. I personally cleanse usually three to five days with the changing of every season. I think that’s the perfect time to do a cleanse and hit the reset button.
Where do you like to work out in LA to accompany your clenses?
I love the outdoors, so prior to living in Venice, I used to hike Runyon Canyon five days a week. Now that I live on the West Side, sometimes I’ll do the UCLA stairs and I do the Santa Monica stairs pretty often. The beach is right there, so it’s easy to do a jog or a bike ride. I also love Will Rogers State Park or Temescal.
How much of an increase in interest do you see after the New Year in Pressed Juicery?
A lot. With the seasonality focus on health and wellness, January is kind of our Super Bowl.
What’s the top seller in LA?
Collectively, our green juices are hands down our No. 1 seller. We have five different options that go from savory to sweet. Ultimately, people just want those leafy green vegetables.
What are you looking forward to this year?
A lot of what’s already in the pipeline: finishing up our commitments for stores we are opening in California, venturing out into new territories and getting into new markets—and just having fun!
MORE FUN: check out the ‘Sh*t Juicers Say’ video from Pressed Juicery:
