SPRINGFIELD – Every day between 5 and 6 a.m., chilled fruit hits a blade at Cellf Juices before the morning hustle and bustle begins.
Jazlinda Navarro, owner of Springfield’s first cold-pressed juice bar, located at 1026 Bay St., believes her passion for health and nutrition is what has led to the success of the business.
Navarro said Cellf began as part of her individual journey of self-love and healing. Armed with inspiration for health, fasting and nutrition, she now hopes to support others to achieve their best selves, or Cell.
“The journey to self-love is a selfish journey. I’m sharing this with the community and I want to make sure people are supported in their journey,” she said.
With no credit, Navarro invested her funds in the juice bar, and it paid off, she said. Investing in the right equipment is what Navarro said is the number one thing that makes her juicer different from others.
“It’s not a regular car; the fruit only hits the blade once and then it is crushed,” she said.
According to Navarro, the average machine creates heat and oxidizes the cold-pressed juice. The twin gears in the Cellf juicer provide a greater yield of leafy greens, there are two ion-separating magnets that eliminate current crushing so that fruits or vegetables don’t stick.
“The process is unique and different because it is less oxidizing and gives the best results,” she said.
Amy Brannan, a Springfield College student, was at the juice bar for the first time.
Brannan said she usually goes to different places to try acai bowls, and she had been thinking about trying Cellf for a while. “I’ve never been here before,” Brannan said, “It’s good. I like it. The size and price are good.”
Navarro, a graduate of Roger L. Putnam Vocational Technical Academy and the University of Massachusetts, continued her education in Honduras where she studied the benefits of fasting, proper nutrition and fluids.
Navarro’s health and nutrition journey has taken on new life since then. She currently teaches a spin class, just completed the Philadelphia Marathon, and is in the process of obtaining her registered dietitian certification from Cornell University.
“I have a plant-based nutrition certification from Cornell and I just got accepted into an RDN (registered nutritionist) master’s program,” she said.
What started as a side business around fasting and juicing selling fresh juices on the hair salon circuit has branched out into niche health and nutrition campaigns.
“I just want to help our people in Springfield change by talking to them about liquid fasting and letting them know that they are in control,” Navarro said.
Navarro admits it’s hard to find something healthy to eat and commit to change after working eight to 12 hours a day, but people can come to Cellf juice to take control of their eating and fasting. in addition to joining a supportive community.
“It’s hard to cook and do what needs to be done, everything these days is moving fast and it’s easy to put something in the microwave, but we can slow down. By fasting, we can take control of our nutrition and breathing,” she said.
She said being open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. helps reach customers with busy schedules, and in turn, Cellf is selling more alkaline juices and sorbet bowls than ever.
There was a sudden boom in sales that started with the COVID-19 pandemic. “During the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, it was intense,” Navarro said. “The fast was a hit and in January and February we had queues out the door. Online ordering went from 20 to 50 deliveries in three weeks.”
With all the juicing, the pulp had to go somewhere, so Navarro has recycled the juice pulp into compost.
“I graduated in 2015 with a degree in biology and horticulture,” she said. “Naturally, I started composting. I have a big yard and wanted to start a kale garden.”
Navarro said she creates her own mix of compost and topsoil, and although there is no fertilizer in it, her compost mix has the same nutrient-rich properties to maintain a healthy garden.
“Nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium and magnesium are all necessary for a healthy garden,” she said. “You can tell it’s good by the color.”
The compost mix is used to support gardens of kale, tomatoes and peppers and many other fruits and vegetables.
Cellf Juices donates the rest of the pulp to be turned into compost at community gardens and farms.
“We have tons of pulp, more than any other juicer in town. I partnered with Grow your City, Gardening the Community, a nonprofit organization on Walnut Street, and Commonwealth Sustainability, a chicken farm in Hadley, for composting,” she said.
Local farm owners and customers can come and claim compost. According to Navarro, the staff will hand you a tote bag filled with fresh goodies designed for the garden you have in mind.
And if asked, Navarro said he can go to customers’ homes and test the mix to make sure it’s right.
