Today, the creators of The Pittsburgh Juice Company hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate the opening of Vibrant Sunshine Juicery Cafe in Aspinwall. Today’s ceremony kicked off two weeks of grand opening special events and was attended by special guest U.S. Rep. Chris Deluzio (PA-17).

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230816240738/en/

The journey to the cafe’s opening wasn’t easy. Owner Naomi Hoppel faced challenges common to many small businesses including accessing the necessary funds to expand and challenges that are unique to a fresh, organic fruit business. However, the vision to create a community destination that offers fresh food kept Hoppel moving forward.

The location, formerly Patty’s Farm Market, was purchased by Hoppel in April of this year to allow for a second cafe location and for the company to consolidate production to a single location. The new cafe location is dedicated to promoting happiness, wellness, and sustainability through delicious grab-and-go foods and juices. The high traffic area will allow those on the go access to fresh food with plant forward options.

Today’s event included a tour of the production facility that will greatly increase efficiency and volume. Joining the tour were lenders, economic developers, vendors and other guests, including:

• PA Rep. Mandy Steele (D-33)
• Tyrell Best-Savage, Field Representative, U.S. Rep. Summer Lee (PA-12)
• Chuck Leyh, President and CEO, Enterprise Bank
• Tim Zimmerman, Senior Advisor, Independent Community Bankers of America
• Joe Bute, President and Co-Founder, Food 21
• Winthrop Watson, President and CEO, FHLBank Pittsburgh
• David Paulson, Chief Operating Officer, FHLBank Pittsburgh

Also joining were FHLBank Pittsburgh Board and Affordable Housing Advisory Council members:

FHLBank Pittsburgh Board:

• Louise Herrle, Vice Chair
• Dr. Howard Slaughter Jr., President and CEO, Habitat for Humanity of Greater Pittsburgh and Governance and Public Policy Committee Chair
• Brendan McGill, President and CEO, Harleysville Bank

FHLBank Affordable Housing Advisory Council:

• Tonya Mitchell-Weston, President/CEO, Housing Authority of the County of Warren
• Karen Welsh, President, UpStreet Architects, Inc.

“Small businesses make our community great, and it was a treat to attend today’s ribbon cutting and celebrate the launch of this new business right in my neighborhood in Aspinwall,” said Rep. Deluzio. “I will keep fighting in Congress to grow jobs and opportunity and to strengthen competition so small businesses can thrive.”

“This new location marks an important step forward for The Pittsburgh Juice Company and Vibrant Sunshine,” Hoppel said. “The expanded retail space and production capacity will have a profound impact on our operations and enable us to grow to our full potential with expanded menu offerings. We are grateful for the support of everyone here with us today and for the opportunity to serve the Aspinwall community. We're so excited for the future.”

Today’s event was co-hosted by FHLBank Pittsburgh which provided funding through the Banking On Business (BOB) program which was launched in 2000 to help eligible small businesses create or retain jobs. Pittsburgh Juice Company became the 1,000th small business to leverage funding from the program utilizing a special purpose credit program called Banking On Business Inclusion and Equity fund (BOBIE). The BOBIE program was created to meet the needs of underrepresented small businesses by offering flexible terms that are favorable to minority- and women-owned small business borrowers.

In speaking of FHLBank Pittsburgh’s commitment to economic development, Watson said, “We are pleased to join our member, Enterprise Bank, to celebrate the 1,000th small business to utilize our Banking On Business program. Pittsburgh Juice perfectly represents the vision of the program to help small businesses bring their vision to life while having a huge positive impact on the community. We thank Congressman Deluzio for his continued partnership that allows FHLBanks to support the communities that our members serve.”

Since inception, BOB and BOBIE have provided more than $96 million in funding and helped to create or retain over 12,000 jobs. FHLBank Pittsburgh member, Enterprise Bank, provided primary funding and secured the BOBIE funding on behalf of The Pittsburgh Juice Company.

Chuck Leyh added that “Enterprise Bank is committed to helping small businesses serve communities and FHLBank Pittsburgh is an essential partner in that mission. We look forward to watching The Pittsburgh Juice Company thrive.”

The event concluded with a fresh juice toast and sampling.

Grand Opening Events

All are invited to join the grand opening events.

About Pittsburgh Juice Company and Vibrant Sunshine Juicery Cafe

At The Pittsburgh Juice Company (affectionately known as "PJC") the goal is to provide a product that makes you feel good and that you can feel good about. They believe in sustainability and the importance of wholesome, unprocessed, plant-based foods. In this woman owned, family business, waste is minimal while ingredients are organic and seasonally local; all making for happy bodies and for a happy earth. Their new endeavor Vibrant Sunshine Juicery Cafe is a plant-forward cafe dedicated to promoting happiness, wellness, and sustainability through nutritious grab-and-go foods and drinks.

About Enterprise Bank

Enterprise Bank opened its doors for business in October 1998. Since that day, our focus has been on providing the region with a bank that addresses the particular needs of entrepreneurs, startups, expanding businesses, and businesses in distress. It is our conviction that every business deserves the chance to start, grow and succeed. Enterprise Bank strives to bring an entrepreneurial spirit to the traditional commercial banking industry.

About FHLBank Pittsburgh

FHLBank Pittsburgh provides reliable funding and liquidity to its member financial institutions, which include commercial and savings banks, community development financial institutions, credit unions and insurance companies in Delaware, Pennsylvania and West Virginia. FHLBank products and resources help support community lending, housing and economic development. As one of 11 Federal Home Loan Banks established by Congress, FHLBank has been an integral and reliable part of the financial system since 1932. Learn more by visiting www.fhlb-pgh.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230816240738/en/