Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 34, Number 5, 1 May 2017 — Liquid Life: 'True health is wealth' [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Liquid Life: 'True health is wealth'

ByTreenaShapiro Liquid Life's brightly eolored cold-pressed juices ean attract attention on their own but on a Monday afternoon in early March curious passersby were more interested in the company's upcoming storefront in Kea'au. "They 're going to have smoothies," one woman called to a friend who had waited outside while she peeked in. The new heahh bar will also serve sandwiches, aeai bowls and healthy desserts in keeping with its eight signature juice blends. Eaeh bottle combines organic, locally sourced ingredients, lā'au lapa'au and other holistic healing methods

that target particular areas of the body's health. The storefront is the latest development in a whirlwind year-and-a-half for owners Rory "Ola" Tripp,

26, and Sarah "Puna" Tripp, 24, who launched their eompany at the same time they were planning their wedding. On their first official day of sales, the eouple stayed up all night juicing, bottling and hand-labeling their bottles for the 2015 Lilikoi Festival. They went straight from the kitchen to the fair, and Puna also squeezed in a dress-fitting the same morning. The Tripps credit their family with helping them sell out that first day but the eouple was soon selling 30 cases a month

at farmer's markets in Waimea, Pahoa and Volcano, as well as Kīlauea General Store, whieh

is owned by 01a's family. After hitting the markets consistently for a year, they'd sold enough juice to pay for their wedding and start preparing to open their storefront. For Puna, who is studying holistic nutrition, it's a dreamjob combining heahh andlā'au lapa'au. "I have this passion for healing people holistically," she said. The Tripp's goal with Liquid Life isn't to sell bottles of juice withprice tags in the double-digits, whieh

limits who ean buy it. "We're really trying to make our prices affordable. We care about you and we want you to be healthy," she explained.

While encouraging people to make healthier choices, Liquid Life also contributes to the health of its community. The Tripps are able to purchase 80-90 percent of their organic ingredients fromlocal farmers, whieh helps support Hawai'i Island agriculture. They'll also be creating jobs at their storefront and are looking at ways to reach out to the students, some of whom attend school right across the street. "We want to create more opportunities,

especially for the next generation and their heahh and prosperity," Ola said. The motivation for promoting healthier nutrition

comes from both of the couple's families. Both lost grandparents, to cancer, diabetic gangrene and strokes. When an unele was hurt in a serious car accident, they wanted to find a i way to help. Puna's ; research into the traditional healing properties of locally grown plants provided a foundation for the drinks, whieh tap into the modern

thirst for coldpressed juice. "We want to be there for

our grandchildren and great-grand-children," Ola said. "We wanted to do something that really addresses that in a practical way." Eaeh of Liquid Life's eight juice blends targets an area of the body's heahh with a combination of fruits, vegetables, nuts, roots and flowers. 'Olena Osmosis, for example, ean help with inflammation. There's also Mac-nut Motivation, Coconut Conscious, along with flavors named for their brilliant colors: Orange Oasis,

Green Garden, Red Roots, Blue Bliss and Purple Passion. They ean be purchased individually, or six-pack carriers ean hold enough bottles for a Chakra Cleanse. The Tripps made it clear that their intention is to create, not compete, so they appreciate that other coldpressedjuice companies are creating demand across the island. "We need people to be healthy because it uplifts our community," Ola pointed out. "The more people doing what we do means our community is getting healthier, not just physically, but also emotionally and mentally." Liquid Life's new storefront opens soon at 16-566 Kea'au-Pā'ula Rd #199, Kea'au, Hawai'i Island. ■

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EC0N0MIG SELFSUFFICIENCY

Liquid Life's organic, cold-pressed juices target different areas of the body with different blends of locally sourced ingredients.

Puna and Ola Tripp show off their cold-pressed juices in their soon-to-open storefront in Kea'au. - Photos: Brandon Miyamoto