If your New Year’s resolution includes health and wellness, you’re not alone. According to a 2024 Pew Research Center Survey, nearly eighty percent of Americans make resolutions related to health and wellness.
Building a healthy lifestyle certainly includes increased physical activity, but decisions made in the kitchen or while out to eat have an important effect, too.
K2 Roots, a cold-pressed-juice café, is here to help residents of Centre County reach their health goals. The business was founded by locals who shared a pursuit of creating products to fuel both world-class athletes and people simply trying to balance their health with all that comes in life.
Olympic wrestler David Taylor was going to add cold-pressed juicing to his training regimen. His wife, Kendra, began researching the process and benefits, and the couple decided to add juicing to their daily routine. In 2017, Kendra introduced Karen Jeanmenne to juicing. Jeanmenne found that cold-pressed juicing helped her manage her chronic illness. Both families joined together to open K2 Roots.
The business originally opened in 2017, focusing on cold-pressed juices, but moved to its current location on South Garner Street with an expanded menu in summer 2024.
General Manager Janna Christine says these types of juices can have a wide variety of benefits.
“We press a variety of flavors for all ages and taste preferences,” Christine says. “The benefits range from aiding in inflammation, skin health, digestion, cleansing cells, and immune support.”
Customers will find a refrigerator full of ready-to-go bottles of juices with varying benefits. They include detoxes (cucumber, cilantro, celery, dandelion, ginger root, lemon, spirulina, moringa) and immunity-building (apple, pineapple, ginger, turmeric, cayenne, oregano oil) mixes.
K2 Roots also offers juice cleanse sets ranging from one to five days of beginner or advanced levels.
The selection is constantly updated, and Christine says most of the cold-pressed juices contain between two and four pounds of raw produce in each bottle. Since everything is made with the freshest available produce, its shelf life isn’t as long as for drinks that are processed.
“We like to refer to them as an IV of nutrients, as raw juice is absorbed at a cellular level,” Christine says. “All of our food and smoothies are made fresh for our consumers. We make our dressings and as many ingredients in house as possible. Quality nutrition is key!”
Christine says K2 Roots offers much more than its signature cold-pressed juices. The menu includes smoothies, smoothie bowls, paninis, full-service espresso, avocado toast, salads, and hot rice protein bowls.
“We take pride in our ingredients,” Christine says.
Local favorites for those craving something sweet include the PB Bliss Smoothie Bowl (banana, cacao powder, agave, vanilla, and almond milk, topped with granola, bananas, peanut butter, chia seeds, cacao nibs, and cinnamon).
Want to take the health benefits to go? Grab a smoothie like the Hailey Bieber (strawberry, avocado, date, vanilla collagen, banana, sea moss gel, hyaluronic acid, coconut cream, house-made strawberry jam, maple syrup, and coconut whip, blended with almond milk). The smoothies are a great way to pack in nutrients and benefits without missing a beat in one’s day.
For those who are craving a sandwich, the Italian Chicken Pesto Panini is a popular choice. The sandwich includes grilled chicken, mozzarella, basil, pesto, garlic aioli, and a balsamic glaze, toasted on organic sourdough bread.
The Southwest Bowl combines avocado, cilantro, red onion, cherry tomato, rice, chicken, lime, corn, roasted cauliflower, cheddar, crème fraiche, and chipotle mayo to create a protein-packed, flavorful meal.
Christine says the café offers free Wi-Fi and is a great place to study, work remotely, or hang out with friends. While the new space is steps from Penn State’s campus, K2 Roots is for everyone who is interested in healthy habits. She says they see members of the university community as well as health-conscious locals.
The new location is next to Vitality Wellness Club, a sister business that offers relaxation and holistic wellness treatments and a cycle studio. For full information, visit VitalityWellnessClub.com. T&G
Hannah Pollock is a freelance writer in State College.
