Tristan Lopus
Senior Features Writer
Nothing hits the spot like an icy, refreshing fruit smoothie. Well, okay, not if that smoothie is a mixture of freezer-burnt frozen fruit and neon powder blended into some crushed ice which turns into a sloppy, heterogeneous concoction. You know, the kind one might find at a fast food joint or a parental truckstop.
To restate more accurately: nothing hits the spot like a delectable blend of fresh fruit, squeezed juice and yogurt or sorbet — the kind of blend you get at Pulp. Pulp Juice and Smoothie Bar is an innovative franchise boasting an exciting menu of fresh fruit juices and nutritious smoothies made from a strikingly basic set of raw, natural ingredients. As of Oct. 25, these delicious, nutritious and affordable “meal-in-a-cup” alternatives to fast food are now available here in Wooster.
The Wooster location of the Pulp franchise is the brainchild of Adam Graber, a former construction worker turned entrepreneur. About four years ago, Pulp’s North Canton location became an integral part of Graber’s very successful personal weight-loss effort; its nutrient-packed smoothies constituted at least one (and often two) of his daily meals. He quickly fell so in love with this innovative franchise, which he had used to lose so much weight, that he wondered if he might also be able use it to lose his job in construction. Just a few short years full of many long hours of hard work and planning later, Graber is the proud co-owner and general manager of the Wooster location of Pulp.
In the two short weeks since the brand new store’s opening, the Wooster community has unequivocally expressed its excitement about this unique addition to the dining options in town. Graber has already identified several regular customers as well as daily rush times, two hallmarks of a successful venture that usually require several months of steady business and gradually expanding community presence to develop.
According to Graber, the most popular smoothie so far seems to be the Elite Eight, a sweet and tangy blend of strawberry juice, pineapple juice, strawberries, peaches, mangos and orange sherbet. Two other successful smoothies have been the Island Cruiser and the Mango Tango, both of which feature passionfruit-mango juice as well as fresh mangoes. Their wrap sandwiches have also proven popular, especially the honey mustard chicken wrap and Pulp’s signature PB&G, a wrapped spin on the peanut buttery classic that trades the typical jelly for granola, banana, yogurt and honey.
While word of the new Pulp location has yet to fully pervade the College community, the menu is armed with a set of specialty smoothies that promise to be smash hits with the student body. With recipes such as Cram Session and Hangover Relief, the Super Smoothies section alone is enough to satisfy both the academic and social demands of college life. Those students needing only a little boost can add a Pulp Enhancer — such as Energy, Stress Relief, Immunity or Hangover Relief — to any smoothie, while the High Energy Smoothies section offers three unique smoothies featuring Red Bull to those desperate students cranking out late night essays. To seal the deal, the Pulp Wooster location accepts COW cash.
Thus, as the scent of impending final essays and exams is carried in on the wintry chill of the November air and the Lowry fireplace warms the Pit to optimal dozing temperature, consider a Pulp juice or smoothie as a chilled reinvigoration for any exhausting study session.