Admittedly, Kyle Pressman wasn’t a huge fan of vegetables in high school.
In an effort to reach the recommended daily intake, Pressman would take the greens and blend them with water to create small, manageable veggie shots.
“I would drink it as fast as I could, holding my nose to get it down,” he said.
For years, Pressman would continue this process, drinking veggie shots despite the unappetizing taste. In 2017, he began to explore the potential of a bottled veggie shot.
Unlike his previous efforts, Pressman wanted to make taste a top priority. Throughout 2018, he and co-founder Cindy Arana worked hard to find the right balance of nutrition and taste for their product.
“It was challenging, neither of us come from a food science background,” Pressman said.
Two months ago, Denver-based HealthKic officially launched with its first three flavors: Crushin Greens, Orange Immunity and Vitality Blast.
The 2.5-ounce shots are packed with a variety of fruits and vegetables and cost $40 for a 12-pack. After months of developing the product, HealthKic launched in all 19 Colorado Whole Foods locations earlier this month.
“Whole Foods has been working with us for several months, making sure we had products they were excited about and their customers were too,” Pressman said.
With the Whole Foods placement, Pressman said the company is focused on building that relationship while developing more unique products..
He said HealthKic’s decision to move to Colorado from California in 2018 has been instrumental in the company’s growth.
“There are so many different types of entrepreneurs starting these innovative and unique food and beverage companies - it’s exciting to us,” he said. “There are so many success stories here and that inspires entrepreneurs to think outside of the box and take chances.”
HealthKic also donates a serving of vegetables to local shelters around Colorado with every purchase. Pressman said the company’s mission is to educate people on the benefits of vegetables, even if they don’t necessarily love the taste.
“We want to spread nutrition and vegetables to as many people as we can.”
