Tonic Juicery

Lindsay Mills had just completed her holistic health coach certification. Micah Mills was ready to leave construction work. The couple created a solution that suited them both when they founded Tonic Juicery four years ago.

“We’ve just always been passionate about juice, seeking out juice bars when we travel,” Lindsay says.

Tonic Juicery already stands out because it’s the only shop of its kind in the Roaring Fork Valley. Several others carry the shop’s juices, but no other restaurant creates the juices. But Tonic Juicery also holds its own in the larger juicing industry because of its insistence on using a hydraulic cold press.

Some customers are confused that their juices aren’t prepared to order, but Lindsay Mills explains that’s because pressing in advance and filling the bottle to the cap preserves nutritional value. The cold press extracts the highest density of nutrients, and because the method doesn’t create any heat, the juices don’t lose nutritional value as they’re cooked away.

The Millses purchase all organic produce, and they buy locally whenever possible. (Because it takes 3 to 4 pounds of produce to make each bottle, Tonic Juicery isn’t always able to find the volume of vegetables and fruit it requires without going through a wholesaler.)

The store also carries locally infused honey, biodynamic hemp oil hats, hoodies and snacks from local companies. Community support has also been key to the shop’s success, Lindsay says, and that community extends beyond Tonic’s Carbondale neighborhood. The shop delivers juices from Rifle to Aspen. And while the Millses aren’t single-minded about what they consume, Lindsay urges people to eat and drink the best they can.

“I’m not a purist. I’m not vegan, I’m not paleo. But I’m all about moderation,” she says.

The quote painted behind Tonic Juicery’s cash register summarizes the philosophy in another way: “It’s simple. If you give your body what it needs to heal—it will heal.”