#IBuiltThis: Meet the Colombian Juice Queen That’s Making Miami Healthy

Inspiration comes in many ways, including fighting to get rid of that freshman 15. Instead of being frustrated by her health (including constant migraines), Miami-based Tatiana Peisach decided to figure out a better way. Juicing to get and stay healthy inspired Peisach to turn her way of life into a business. And so was born the wildly sucessful Cold Pressed Raw.

The company now sells more than 10 juices in a variety of locations, including their brick and mortar restaurant in bustling beachside Brickell. This is how Peisach started her business, where she’s going, and why she won’t stop till she has conquered the world. 

TLK: Tell us about yourself, what were you doing before CPR? 

I am a 27-year-old entrepreneur from Bogota, Colombia who founded Cold Pressed Raw (CPR), a Miami-based organic juice company, in 2012. Before CPR, I was in the tech world working in internet design and strategy companies. I have always been an entrepreneur at heart and have had a number of different businesses over the years. [pagebreak]

TLK: Why did you start CPR?

To the average outsider, a cold pressed green juice may seem like the current health trend, but once someone starts incorporating juices into their life they begin to understand that is it not a trend but a lifestyle… this is exactly what happened to me. I was having a hard time losing my “freshmen 15” and suffered from migraines, so I was on daily preventative migraine medication. I was at UPenn when a friend of mine told me she was doing this cold pressed juice cleanse and felt great. The idea sounded very appealing to me so I decided to give it a shot. During my three-day juice cleanse I had a ton of energy, I lost some weight, and felt amazing. After my first cleanse, I continued to drink cold pressed juices intermittently. When I had a green juice with breakfast I felt so great I ended up making healthier choices for lunch, which in turn led me to feeling better overall and motivated me to make it to the gym: in a kind of positive snowball effect. The difficult part about keeping a cold pressed juice regimen was the availability and expensive price, at one point paying $65 just for the shipping of my juices!                                                                       

I began running the numbers on the ingredients to see what it would cost me to make my own juices. Consider that a bottle of cold pressed juice contains an average of 2 pounds of fresh organic produce that is cleaned, prepped and pressed. I came to realize there was a lot more than the ingredients going into each bottle, that a great deal of processing expertise and work goes into each bottle and that ultimately the urban consumer is willing to pay the price to have it put together for them. I saw the benefits of the product as a consumer myself and saw the market opportunity as the nature of the business at the time made it be a local fare, each market with its own small players. I saw that we could bring this niche product to a wider audience and look to streamline production and achieve economies of scale that would make my juices more competitive than what you could put together at home while keeping the quality and benefits that I had found as a consumer myself.

Four years later, Cold Pressed Raw (CPR) is a well-known local brand and an expert in our field. CPR offers the highest-quality products to support customers’ wellness and lifestyle goals. CPR is a tool for healthy living that has a positive impact on the community through its quality products, innovative solutions and health and wellness expertise. [pagebreak]

TLK: Where is CPR now? 

CPR currently sells more than 12 different bottled and cold-pressed juices, shots and alkaline water. These can be purchased individually or as part of our CPR cleanses. We sell direct to consumer via our retail space in Brickell and via our website. We also wholesale to strategic partners all around the Miami area such as Panther Coffee, Equinox, Winn Dixie, Miami International Airport, Faena Hotel and many others. We also offer juice cleanses that range from a beginner’s level 1 to an athlete’s cleanse and can be tailored depending on the customer’s current health conditions and goals.

In October of 2015, CPR launched CPR Kitchen in the heart of Miami’s Brickell neighborhood, expanding our offering of beverages to include healthy foods and snacks. Here you can find delicious, made to order meals, snacks and desserts for customers to enjoy. Products range from breakfast items including avocado toast with house pesto to lunch items including our signature Zoodle Noodles and mushroom ceviche.

CPR primarily serves the South Florida market and we are in more than 25 locations in the area including the retail spaces of our partners mentioned above. Early in 2016, CPR launched the first Cold Pressed Juice Vending Machine at The Lab Miami.

TLK: What were some of the biggest challenges you faced in building CPR? 

Building a business from the ground up is extremely challenging, no matter what industry you are in. The premium beverage/juice industry has been difficult but very exciting. It is growing extremely quickly and being able to grow with demand but in a smart way has been challenging.

It can also be challenging to find, nurture and grow a solid, loyal team in Miami. However, we have been lucky enough to have found and trained incredible talent. Now, we have a diligent group that has been dedicated since the beginning.

It can also be a challenge to create a name for ourselves within the increasingly saturated market, but we have been successful in creating a consistent, high quality product and becoming so much more than just a juice company. We have leveraged opportunities by integrating manufacturing, distribution, wholesale and retail to create a 360-degree business. [pagebreak]

TLK: What have you learned from CPR? What brings you the most joy?

Having your own business that survives 4 years is like having a business masters (or more!). I have made many mistakes but learned from every single one. It is even more important to know what not to do than to know what to do. I don’t linger, I have learned to make decisions, trust my intuition, and execute efficiently. I also know what I am good at and what I am bad at and have surrounded myself with a team that complements.

What brings me the most joy? When I am sitting somewhere and I see a total stranger purchasing and enjoying one of my juices.

TLK: What’s next for CPR? What’s next for you? 

We won’t stop until we’ve conquered the world of juice (sounds like we’re joking, but we’re not!). We hope to continue to make the juices more accessible all over Miami and then in other states. We are also working with some amazing people to bring together the health and wellness community in Miami. We are committed to growing our logistics and distribution. We are currently working with FedEx, Amazon and Uber in very creative new ways to make sure our products are as accessible as possible for our consumer base, which is quickly growing and demanding more from CPR. We are also developing new products such as a new shot line and a cold brew coffee line in conjunction with Panther Coffee (a Miami-based coffee shop that sells CPR juices). Lastly, we will continue to build our brand and foster brand love by connecting more with our community through outreach, events and collaborations.