Taylor, a lifelong Springfield resident, along with his friends - Marcus Clark, Melvin Hardnick, Jafar Jones and Craig Williams - developed a plan over a year ago to make his idea turn into a reality.
Last summer, they began juicing and testing recipes to gauge what was possible and what juices they liked, Taylor explained. Juicing is the process of extracting juices from fresh fruits and vegetables.
“There are no additives,” Taylor said. “It is all 100 percent fruits and vegetables.”
Taylor explained that they decided to make juices instead of smoothies because “when you are juicing you don’t lose as much of the actual nutrients.”
When the Springfield Kroger on South Limestone Street closed in early March, Taylor said they knew it was time to open the juice stand to bring residents, especially on the south side, a healthy option.
But, due to the coronavirus pandemic, the opening of The Main Squeeze was delayed a few months.
In the meantime, Taylor and his friends have allowed local residents to order juices on their Facebook page to be delivered as “practice runs.” During their second practice run, Taylor said he had to stop ordering early because they had over 100 orders.
The juices, 16 ounce units for $5, come in six different flavors: Porch Life, Black Excellence, Love Bomb, The Purple Take, The Green Kicked In and Glow’d Up.
Porch Life is a mixture of orange, pineapple and mint. Glow’d Up is a mixture of carrots, oranges, pineapple and ginger.
When The Main Squeeze opens in mid-September, the stand will travel around Springfield. Taylor said he is planning to still do deliveries, especially during the winter.
“We are the first people to ever try to do a fresh juice stand in the city,” Taylor said.
To set their business apart from others, Taylor is completing his certification to become a licensed juice therapist.
“Having the actual scientific knowledge and things like that behind it sets us apart from other people,” Taylor said.
He added, “It isn’t just a business, there’s really something to stand on.”
The Main Squeeze is hoping to bring their juices to local residents that may not have the accessibility to similar healthy options, Taylor said.
“We want to make sure we take care of the hometown most importantly,” he added.
For more information, search for Themainsqueeze937 on Facebook.
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