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Juice And Smoothie Bar Equipment: Essential Products You Need

juice smoothie bar equipmentAs the name implies, a juice bar is a bar or a cafe that serves drinks such as juice and smoothies extracted from fresh fruits and vegetables.

Nowadays, everyone wants to eat healthily, and what could be healthier than a blend of fresh fruits and veggies? This has made the juice bar and smoothie bar business one of the most lucrative businesses in the food industry.

Asides from nutritional value, juices and smoothies are known to be super refreshing especially during summer.

So all you need is the perfect location, the right equipment and you’ll find yourself generating a very healthy income from this business.

Speaking of equipment, what do you think are the key points to consider when choosing your juice bar equipment? Let’s find out!

Read More: What is the best bar blender?

Juice bar equipment: key points to consider

vitamix quiet one for juice barAs I said earlier, your equipment is a huge determinant of your success in this business. So you might want to pay close attention to this angle.

When starting up a juice bar or smoothie bar business, you don’t just walk into any store and purchase whichever equipment you find, you’re going to have to select the necessary ones or you’ll end up buying junk.

Lucky for you, I’ve prepared a list of the major factors you should consider before choosing your juice bar equipment.

Business type or model

Are you running a mobile bar or a fixed location bar? Do you plan to make just juice or juice, smoothies, and food? Is it a small-scale business or a large-scale business?  All these are questions you should ask yourself before purchasing any equipment.

Your menu

If your menu provides a wide variety of options for customers, then you’ll definitely need a lot of equipment. In other words, the size of your menu is proportional to the type and number of equipment you’ll need.

The types of drinks and food to be served also determine the equipment you’ll need. For instance, if you’ll be serving smoothies, you’ll definitely need a commercial blender.

The health department requirements in your location

Health departments in some communities make some equipment compulsory for restaurants, bars, and food-related businesses. For instance, some health departments require separate sinks for the preparation of produce and hand washing.

So I’d say you need to make the necessary inquiries and learn all of the local laws before making your list of equipment.

Brand of the equipment

After considering the aforementioned factors, you’ll have to look into the available brands and check for reliable ones. You wouldn’t want to purchase a product that breaks down after the first few weeks of purchase.

If you’re not sure of the reliability of a brand, you can check for customer reviews and testimonials.

Read More: What is the best Vitamix blender?

Price of the equipment

Most start-ups usually work with a low budget so if yours is a start-up, you’re going to have to put this factor into consideration. But first, I’ll have to say this: the most expensive brand is not necessarily the best! This is one mistake you should never make.

To find the most reliable brand, you’ll need to scrutinize a list of available brands and select the best yet economical ones.

Read More: Vitamix Blender for Juicing: How to Make Delicious Juice

List of juice bar equipment

equipment for smoothie juice barNow that you know the kind of equipment you’ll need, let’s get ourselves familiar with some of the most common juice bar equipment.

  • Juicer: It is used to extract juice from fruits and vegetables. There are two main types of juicers; a cold-press juicer (quite slow) and a centrifugal juicer (faster).
  • A powerful blender for making smoothies. One important factor to consider is the noise of your blender. You don’t want the atmosphere of your juice or smoothie bar to be ruined by a constant loud blending noise.
  • Citrus juicer: I’d say this piece of equipment is very important because citrus fruits like lemon, orange, and lime will give a bitter taste when placed in a juicer.
  • Milkshake machine for making deliciously refreshing milkshakes.
  • Preparation table: For preparing fruits and veggies for juicing. I recommend stainless steel because they are easier to clean, more hygienic, and more presentable.
  • Preparation tools: Tools like measuring spoons and cups, knives, chopping boards, napkins, scales, etc. are necessary for productivity and portioning.
  • Sink: For washing hands, produce, and other equipment. Buying too many sinks is not necessary so I recommend a multiple compartment sink with running water although some health departments require a hand sink.
  • Dishwasher: This is not a necessity but it’s advisable for large-scale businesses.
  • Drying racks: For air-drying dishes.
  • Refrigerators and freezers: For preserving perishable items.
  • Ice machine: An ice machine is not mandatory but ice is usually required for making some drinks like smoothies. So if you’re thinking of making smoothies, this equipment will come in handy. But if your budget doesn’t give room for this, you can always purchase ice from a local retailer.
  • Fruit baskets: Asides from storage, it makes your workplace more organized and presentable.
  • Storage equipment: such as boxes, shelves, cupboards, and containers are used for holding tools, utensils, and produce.
  • Point of sales systems: For card payments. You’d agree with me that card payments are way faster and easier than cash payments. And you want to make sure your customers are not inconvenienced in any way.
  • Tables and chairs: Finally, tables and chairs provide space for customers to sit, socialize and relax. But if you’re running a mobile bar, you won’t need these.

There are tons of other juice bar equipment not discussed in this article, but these are the most basic ones so I’ll stop here.

Read More: How to juice without a juicer

Care and maintenance of juice bar equipment

Caring for your juice or smoothie bar equipment is very essential because it helps elongate their life span and prevents contamination.

  • Never let your dirty juicer sit for long. You can run a small bowl of water through it in between drinks.
  • Clean your blender after every use and deep clean it at the end of every day.
  • After the day’s work, disassemble your juicer and wash it with warm soapy water.
  • Wash other tools like spoons, knives, bowls, etc. with warm soapy water and a sponge.
  • Always dry your tools and equipment after washing them to avoid rust of metal parts and the growth of molds on equipment
  • Lubricate your juicer regularly with food-grade lubricant to avoid food poisoning.
  • Wash all cleaning towels regularly with warm soapy water.

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Juice bar equipment: final thoughts

Running a juice bar business doesn’t have to be a difficult task. Lucky for you, you have the basic information you’ll need to start up a juice bar in this article. As long as you play your cards right and you’ve got a passion for what you do, succeeding in this business won’t be a problem.

Read More: 7 of the best vegetables to juice