Carina Grenier grew up in Miami leading a healthy, active lifestyle. Her family ate only the freshest produce and healthy food. “My mother and grandmother are from Ecuador, and farm-to-table is the lifestyle for them,” she explains. “Nothing came from a can, everything came from scratch.”

Grenier was captain of her cross-country team, played soccer, volleyball, basketball, and lacrosse. She’s been a pescatarian since the age of 12, and just last year became a vegan.

So, when she moved to Cleveland in October 2017, Grenier faced a bit of a culture shock—both in the weather and in the food offerings. “I was living this lifestyle with health options,” she recalls of her Miami days. “When I moved up here, I felt like I was missing parts. There was no place to go for healthy options that are fast-casual or grab-and-go.”

So Grenier, along with her fiancée Jason Friedman and investor Scott Hernandez, set out to fill that missing piece with Sipt—a Beachwood café that opened in February and offers healthy, all-natural, hand-pressed beverages, small bites using locally-sourced, organic and seasonal ingredients and wellness-based products.

Everything on Sipt’s menu is plant-based and milks are nut-based. Choices include hand-pressed juices, smoothies, smoothie bowls, acai bowls, avocado toasts, and fiber-rich breads and spreads.

Grenier sells Wellness Shots, such as ginger to fight colds and flu, aid digestion or reduce inflammation; anti-inflammatory and antioxidant turmeric; or cleansing purple cabbage­—anti-inflammatory and antioxidant turmeric; or cleansing purple cabbage­—an anti-inflammatory, phytonutrient with vitamin K.

And the menu offers Boosts of plant-based nutrients like chia seeds, bee pollen, or goji berries. “Everything behind my menu has nutritional value to it,” she explains. “All of these things have properties to help the body.”

Try the hand-pressed juices, like the Berry Good Muscles with orange, grapefruit, carrot, tomato, and strawberry to aid in recovery, or the immunity-boosting Salud smoothie, which contains spinach, swiss chard, cilantro, mango, water, banana, lime, and ginger.

Customers who aren’t familiar with the nutrients provided in certain foods, shouldn’t be afraid to ask, Grenier says, adding that she is always willing to give a consult.

“I would ask them how they are feeling and what they are looking to achieve for the rest of their day,” she explains of her process. “Depending on their answer, I would start them out with a simple juice with lots of vitamin C like Breakfast Treat or an antioxidant-packed smoothie like Berry Beauty or maybe for lunch they want to spice it up and try an avocado toast [like] The Twist (Avocado, scallion, radish, jalapeño, pepitas, lemon juice).”

Even Sipt’s paper products are healthy—down to the silverware made of corn and the compostable straws.

For coffee lovers, Sipt carries Coava, single origin coffee, and Push X Pull, both out of Oregon, and Michigan-based Mundos Roasting & Co. Locally, Grenier carries Six Shooter Coffee.

“All support fair trade and sustainability and allow their farmers to have control over their farms and be paid justly,” says Grenier. “I have espresso, cappuccino, americanos and lattes all made with plant or nut-based milks.”

Sipt is located in suite 125 at 3365 Richmond Road—nestled in between other wellness-focused businesses like Corus45, CycleBar, North Coast Cryo, and Cleveland Yoga. Grenier says the strip was the perfect choice for Sipt. “Being in this location was important because this is such a fitness plaza,” she says.