In a town where health, wellness, and year-round activity is a priority, opening a juice shop made a ton of sense to Jennifer Sutton and Anna Barrett, the owners of Guest Haus Juicery & Matcha Bar, which opened in late September in Prospector.
Sutton is a former east coaster with a background in marketing and advertising. She and her husband had visited Park City regularly since 2008, got married here in 2012, and made the full-time move in 2019. “It always felt like there was so much that could thrive here—more food, restaurants, and places of community,” she says.
Throughout COVID-19, she started juicing more, and as a mom of two young boys, she’s increasingly focused on healthy, conscious eating. Last year, Sutton realized she was making too many trips to Salt Lake City to find nut milks, smoothies and juices that weren’t available in town. Around Thanksgiving, she vocalized her interest in opening a juicery. Although she admits the endeavor was a “huge entrepreneurial leap,” things quickly got into motion.
As things progressed, Barrett—who was helping with Sutton’s kids while going to the University of Utah—expressed a strong interest in what she was creating. She always had a passion for wellness, but after getting into a car accident, her recovery process amplified that passion. “I wasn’t eating solid foods for a bit and was drinking a lot of juice. It put into perspective that taking care of your body is not a given, it’s a privilege,” Barrett says.
They decided to become partners and over the past year—during a pandemic, no less—they sourced everything from bottles to produce, trialed recipes, built a menu and found and built out a space. “I specifically wanted to be in Prospector because I thought it was a good balance of local and good for the community, but close enough to Main Street and tourism that we would get a combination of both,” Sutton says. The location they chose is bright and welcoming, with an eating and hangout area in a sunny space that was once a greenhouse.
What’s on the Menu
Barrett and Sutton have been rolling out new menu items since they opened, starting with a variety of cold-pressed juices, smoothies, matcha lattes and nut mylks, plus a few snacks like energy bites. They will also offer coffee, superfood lattes, bundles and cleanse packages, salads and soups, and seasonal items that feature things like pumpkin, squash, and sweet potato. (“Yes, you can juice a sweet potato,” Sutton says, “and it’s filled with great vitamins.”) The women also incorporate functional mushrooms—which have been shown to boost gut health, reduce stress, and strengthen immunity—into beverages.
Serving quality matcha was also a high priority. We worked really hard on the matcha sourcing. We found a lot of stuff that’s cut down with additives—sugar, etc.—and we were lucky to find someone in California that typically only works with big suppliers but was willing to work with us. They sweeten the matcha instead using natural agave.
Jennifer Sutton
The food offerings will continue to grow, starting with four signature salads and “clean” soups that you could incorporate into a cleanse. They’ll also sell sweet and savory waffles (made in house), overnight oats, and possibly some baked goods from Luna’s Kitchen. “We’re going through what would make sense to pull locally because we want to support other small businesses,” Sutton says. “We have had great support, so we’re thinking through how we can build that unique food community.”
Beyond Just Juice
The women want Guest Haus to be both a place where you can run in for a quick beverage as well as a resource for helping people feel their best. Feeling sluggish? They’ll share suggestions to help. Visiting and are struggling with altitude? They can recommend a juice to help oxygen absorption in the body. And if you want to recover from a hard workout, there’s a smoothie or snack for that.
‘High vibes at high altitude’ came out of the high-frequency foods we’re serving. One of the things we were focused on was ensuring that we could reflect people’s lifestyles and energy. You can come in here and trust that you’ll be nourished with the things that will keep you going year-round.
Anna Barrett
In the future, the women hope to host community-driven events, whether that’s a health coach talk or a small yoga class. “Coming from a marketing background, I’m excited to see what we can build for a fun, local brand that gets to come out of this retail space,” Sutton says. “We want to welcome people into Guest Haus in more ways and create a real sense of community.”
