The Juice Truck has become a staple on the streets of Vancouver over the past few years. In that time, founders Zach Berman and Ryan Slater have contributed to a juicing revolution in the city. Their truck offers cold-pressed juices, smoothies, salads, soups, and raw snacks in Gastown, and that’s just the beginning. In 2012 they launched The Juice Cleanse and this year saw the launch of their first storefront on Ontario and 5th. Thanks to them, adding more fruits and veggies to your diet is a lot more delicious than the DIY attempts where your smoothie tastes like mud.

Photo by Jenn Perutka

We put em into the juicer and squeezed a few questions out of them...

How did The Juice Truck begin?

We went on a year long backpacking trip through Asia, mostly through Nepal, India and Sri Lanka. We were initially inspired when we noticed the locals in the Himalayas in Nepal drinking an orange coloured drink made from sea buckthorn berries. We learned they got much of their daily nutrients from this one high altitude berry. We began searching out new fruits, vegetables and super foods throughout our travels. We loved the community that surrounded the local juice carts and vendors throughout Asia, and decided that when we returned from our travels we wanted to launch a street side community juice truck.

You guys are always coming up with new and exciting juices and smoothies. What does the process involve of inventing a new drink?

A few things come into the mix with creating new juices and smoothies. Whenever it's rainy or slow the truck becomes our test kitchen and we just play around. The whole team contributes to this. We also consider what’s in season produce wise, or what might be appealing for the season to consume (watermelon in the summer, pumpkin in the winter).

With more of an emphasis on the community of buying local, what does "local" meant to you?

To us, local means supporting the local farmers whenever possible. With our growing

season, we are able to source a lot of local produce during the Spring/Summer/Fall. Local also means supporting local community, charity, and small business. To support local is a whole way of life.

Other than your own, what's your favourite local product?

We love what they’re doing at the Farmers Apprentice and at the Acorn. There's a ton

of amazing restaurants with a local initiative. The Parker and Burdock and Co. are also amazing. Clothing wise, Reigning Champ is doing great things making their product locally.

What's the most awesome thing about Vancouver?

Vancouver is beautiful and we're so lucky to live here. The mountains, the ocean, the forest; it’s all within minutes of where we live. It's so easy to get lost in nature and be back in the city before we know it. We're privileged to have a city within such a beautiful landscape.

This is one of our Editor's Picks! Check out all of the winners of Most Awesome Awards from the Readers Choice below.

2014 Most Awesome Awards - Readers Choice

By Vancouver Is Awesome

Nominated by the readers of VancouverIsAwesome.com. Click the links in each slide to learn more about the winners!

• Most Awesome Building Manager

  By Vancouver Is Awesome

  John Davis!

• Most Awesome Teenager

  By Vancouver Is Awesome

  Tomas Lang!

• Most Awesome Amateur Sports League

  By Vancouver Is Awesome

  Terminal City Roller Girls!

• Most Awesome Sharing Advocate

  By Vancouver Is Awesome

  Joni McKervey!

• Most Awesome Good Will Ambassador

  By Vancouver Is Awesome

  Bif Naked!

• Most Awesome Graphic Design Advocates

  By Vancouver Is Awesome

  Ross Milne and Grace Partridge!

• Most Awesome Doctor

  By Vancouver Is Awesome

  Doctor Julio Montaner!

• Most Awesome Charitable Entrepreneur

  By Vancouver Is Awesome

  Ken Lyotier of United We Can!

• Most Awesome Sports Fans

  By Vancouver Is Awesome

  Vancouver Whitecaps FC supporters!

• Most Awesome Librarian

  By Vancouver Is Awesome

  Sheila Mclean!

• Most Awesome Free Thing

  By Vancouver Is Awesome

  The Vancouver Public Library!

• Most Awesome Walking Bridge

  By Vancouver Is Awesome

  The one in East Van featured in The Raymur Mothers!

• Most Awesome Place to Regain Faith in Humanity

  By Vancouver Is Awesome

  Sol Convenience Store!

• Most Awesome Public Park

  By Vancouver Is Awesome

  Stanley Park!

• Most Awesome Knitters

  By Vancouver Is Awesome

  Knit Social!

• Most Awesome TV Show

  By Vancouver Is Awesome

  My Little Pony - Friendship is Magic!

• Most Awesome Soup

  By Vancouver Is Awesome

  Peaceful Noodle's Spicy Tangy Dumpling Soup!

• Most Awesome FREE Music Event Series

  By Vancouver Is Awesome

  Playground.is!

• Most Awesome Ocean Conservation Program

  By Vancouver Is Awesome

  The Vancouver Aquarium's Ocean Wise!

• Most Awesome Local Food Advocate

  By Vancouver Is Awesome

  Chad Brealey from Salt, Fresh & Field!

• Most Awesome Animal Rights Organization

  By Vancouver Is Awesome

  The BC SPCA's Vancouver branch!

• Most Awesome Kitchen Rescue Organization

  By Vancouver Is Awesome

  VOKRA!

We're excited that TELUS is helping us bring you the Most Awesome Awards. A longtime friend of V.I.A., TELUS is passionate about giving back to the community by recognizing, celebrating and supporting great community partners, friends and neighbours making a difference in the lives of others. Watch in the coming weeks as we roll out all of the Most Awesome Awards presented by TELUS.