It was juice that brought Roberto Camano to the Bronx and juice is the reason he’s staying. Camano has spent the last year making smoothies at Tita Mini Market Juice Bar at 137 E. Gun Hill Rd. and, with the way business has been going, he’s not stopping anytime soon.

After working at a juice bar in Manhattan, Camano came to the Bronx when Tita managers decided to open one of their own. It’s one of three shops in the  area now offering  smoothies.

Camano said he has long reaped the positive health effects of the blended beverages. His favorite Tita smoothie is the energy bomb, a mix of carrot, red apple, ginseng, fresh orange juice, and protein. Since he began drinking the mix in place of soda, he said he has lost weight, felt better and reduced his portions.

Karl Mohammed, 33, manager of the store, said the health benefits were the reason behind the installation of the juice bar.
When his doctor alerted him of blood pressure problems, Mohammed started making juice in his house. “In eight to nine months,” he said his blood pressure “went back down.”

Tita was already stocked with fresh produce, he said, so adding a juice bar only made sense. Since the official opening of the bar one year ago, both his wallet and his health enjoyed success.

“From the first cup, we couldn’t stop,” Mohammed recalled. The bar, which started with one blender, now requires three, and can use up to 10 jugs of juice per day.

Sam City, located at 206th Street and Bainbridge Avenue, directly at the top of the D-train subway stairs, is a crisply, clean bodega offering the usual daily newspapers, candy and cigarettes.

But it’s Sam City’s recently installed smoothie station that sets it apart from your average bodega. The store offers traditional smoothies made of fresh fruits, vegetables, juices, sugar and honey, but you can choose from enhanced options that include antioxidants or additional protein.

Employee Kim Arriaga claims that the strawberry-banana smoothie is their biggest seller. “I love making new mixtures of smoothies,” says Arriaga. “I keep coming up with new ideas and customers always have their own favorite blends.”

Barely two blocks from Sam City is another hidden smoothie factory. J.C. Produce, located between Perry and Hull avenues on East 204th Street, is a local fresh produce store.

However, hidden in the back of the store, out of the view of customers, employee Hector Cruz and owner Michael Erchal will gladly whip together any combination of the fruits and vegetables that are on sale throughout the store.

Erchal said the smoothie station was originally a customer’s idea, but it’s fast becoming the neighborhood’s idea of good business.

–with Bobby Rice