By Chelsea Meyer
Rock River Current

ROCKFORD — Good health begins with what we fuel and put into our bodies.

Jamar Luster, owner and CEO of Ripe Life Juice Co., says he began his journey three years ago on the road to improving his own health.

Now he’s opened a new fresh-squeezed juice and smoothie shop at 308 W. State St., the former Bella Luna Bakery inside Stewart Square.

“I created this company to reintroduce the urban communities to the benefits of proper nutrition,” Luster said. “We do that through education and exposure to healthier options. So creating Ripe Life was just me trying to give my community another option, a healthier option, and actually, be the change you want to see.”

Ripe Life plans to hold its grand opening at 10 a.m. today.

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“No sugar, no preservatives, everything we handpick. We peel and juice everything by hand,” Luster said in a Thursday morning interview on B103, a partner with the Rock River Current. “We put a lot of love into each bottle to make sure it’s perfect and making sure any fruit we select is something we would eat ourselves. So it’s a quality over quantity thing for us.”

Eventually, they plan on adding other items such as vegan toast, smoothie bowls and fruit salads. They also want to allow people to buy the ingredients that they add to the smoothies and look forward to offering that in the near future.

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About | Ripe Life Juice Co.

Where: 308 W. State St., Suite No. 135 in Stewart Square in downtown Rockford

Hours: 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Monday through Friday; 8 a.m. to noon Saturday; closed Sunday

On the web: ripelifejuice.com; facebook.com/RIPELIFEJUICE

This article is by Chelsea Meyer. Email her at chelsea@b103fm.com.