Granby Village Health Smoothies Voted Best in CT

“I make a bangin’ Steve’s Recovery,” declared 21-year old Cassie Grindle in a recent interview at Granby Village Health.

Sigh. The kids these days.

Translation: Steve’s Recovery is one of 26 different varieties of smoothies on the menu served out of the juice bar at and Grindle, the daughter of Lori Love, the business’ owner, revealed the prowess with which she prepares that concoction.

All of the smoothies, not just Cassie’s Steve’s Recovery, are so bangin’ at the health food store located at 10 Hartford Ave. in Granby that they were declared the best in the state this year by Connecticut Magazine.

It’s a distinction, announced in September, that Love, who has owned the business for 16 years, wears with pride.

“It feels good to have somebody notice how hard you are working at it,” Love said in a recent interview. “And we’ve been working hard at it. It is a lot of work.”

The ingredients in the smoothies are organic and, whenever possible, are locally grown; but they only tell half the story.

The drinks aren’t so much made as they are crafted with care. So when Cassie says she makes a bangin' Steve's Recovery, she isn't bragging. It's a more matter of pride.

“That is really important to me,” Love said of the process and ingredients that go into her smoothies. “It’s easy to find a smoothie in town. It’s not always easy to find an organic, freshly made smoothie. There are no purees here.”

Patrons have the option of ordering one of the smoothies offered on the menu — such as the Green Monster (orange juice, mango, tomato, leafy greens, agave nectar), Clare’s Lemon Delite (lemonade, raspberry, agave nectar), Fruit Paradise (orange juice, strawberry, banana, mango), to name a few — or they can create their own through a combination of up to three of the myriad ingredients available.

Those accustomed to having their beverages served within a matter of seconds may become impatient at how long it takes to receive a Granby Village Health smoothie.

But they won’t be disappointed with the result.

So, just how good are the drinks? Well, the store offers free small smoothies to students who bring in ‘A’ papers. Before Village Health employees got wise to the scam, it wasn’t uncommon for the same paper to be recycled among several students.

But, for many patrons, the reason why they frequent the Granby Village Health juice bar, which was opened when the store moved to its larger location in 2008, is no laughing matter.

Love said that the smoothies are popular with people who have serious health conditions — serious as in cancer serious — who have no better way of getting their nutrients.

Providing a healthy alternative to the caffeinated/refined sugar offerings in the area is precisely the reason why the juice bar exists, Love said.

“[The juice bar] is something we’ve always wanted to offer, but couldn’t in the old location,” Love said.

Love acknowledges that the smoothies, at $5.99 for 12 oz., and $7.99 for 16 oz. for regulars and a dollar more for the deluxe versions, aren’t cheap.

“They are expensive,” she said. “That’s the price you pay for it being all organic. If an ingredient isn’t available, we don’t substitute it for something else.”

And people swear by them and by Love.

“[The smoothies] are amazing,” said Granby resident Neil Hornish. “Everything is organic, which, for a vegan like me, is so important. … [Love] is like the mother of Granby.”

So, what keeps Love going after all these years?

“I really like what I do, exhausting as it is,” she said.

Correction: The original version of this article spelled Cassie Grindle's first name with a 'K.'