Above: Our first Juice Press store, circa 2010 at 70 East 1st Street in New York City
I started Juice Press in 2008 on a worn-out laptop in my apartment. It was my exit from the family antique business. Before that, I ran a skydiving retail shop and produced training films and books. I sold that business in 2003 to Cameron and Donna Bayrasli, and later sold the media rights to Rob Laidlaw, founder of Skydive University. Thankfully, I made my mark without making one in the ground.
After that, I went back to work for my father, rebuilt my finances, but grew bored waiting for customers to walk in. Juicing and plant-based eating became my obsession, rooted in Thai boxing training and rapid weight cuts. That obsession became Juice Press, and eventually goodsugar.
I was turning 40, my daughter Luna was two, and I was always on East 1st Street. One day, I noticed a tiny sunlit storefront across from a children’s park and knew I had to have it. It felt like the center of the universe. I pitched the idea to Jacob Vainer, who owned a nearby bar and health food spot. He said yes. Then Alain Palinsky showed up and got involved. By 2010, Juice Press opened.
A lot of great people helped me from the beginning. Looking back, the chaos that ran alongside our success was partly my creation. Journeys like this are always character studies. Some partnerships were a disaster, others were smart. Partnering with Kenny Dichter and Mark Teixeira was one of the smartest things I did. Partnering with Michael Karsch was not. Jake Vainer, my first partner, was an interesting choice and overall a good guy. Alain Palinsky was like a younger brother. We didn’t always get along, but he added a lot in those first two years.
Some early partners like Mark Baker also added value. He came from nightlife and was always easy to work with.
My father David also deserves credit. He convinced me to sell him a franchise once the brand gained traction. His store on 62nd and Third opened strong and later sold back to the company.
Kenny Dichter and Mark Teixeira were our first investors and brought credibility that helped us raise real money.
Michael Karsch joined during our Series A and bought out Alain. Together we scaled the company from store five to store 85. Karsch eventually took full control and paid me fairly. From 2016 to 2019, I stayed in the founder role and followed his direction. Since 2019, I’ve had zero involvement.
After I left, they changed the menu and added eggs and dairy. Then came the decision to rename the brand from Juice Press to Just Plants. Go figure.
Respect to Ken Langone, who sat on our board and invested. Same goes for Simone Levinson, Michael Murphy, and many others who backed us.
By 2019, we had 85 locations, including 35 inside Equinox gyms. As of 2025, there are 24 stores left. According to Karsch, if he hadn’t stepped in, I would have bankrupted the company. Maybe he was right.