Xoom Juice's paw shake
Smoothie for your dog
By Inger Sandal
isandal@azstarnet.com
Tucson, Arizona | Published: 07.09.2009
Xoom Juice founder Ari Shapiro's dog, Sammy, won't touch a banana, but she loves to finish off a Xoom Spoon or a smoothie.
Little does she realize the ones she loves are made from pure fruit, including bananas, along with some organic soy milk or milk, and a bit of yogurt.
Happy to see his dog enjoy fresh, all-natural and unprocessed ingredients, Shapiro started doing some research. He also talked to a couple of veterinarians.
The result is the Paw Shake, the newest item on Xoom Juice menu. The eight-ounce blend of banana, raw oat bran and raw peanut butter is $3.
Shapiro stresses that the shake is a treat, not a meal replacement.
His creation comes as people are becoming more conscious of what they feed their dogs.
"People are more interested about how their dogs eat sometimes than how they do," Shapiro said.
Xoom Juice already draws people who are health-conscious. Its Web site, www.xoomjuice.com, is quick to note what doesn't go into its drinks: "no sherbet, no sorbet, no ice cream, no added sugar, no high fructose corn syrup, or anything to artificially flavor our smoothies."
Many of these health-conscious customers also have dogs.
All three shops — including the one at 2739 E. Speedway that Shapiro opened in October 2001 — also have an outside tables.
Depending on its success, Shapiro says he could see bottling the shakes.
The Paw Shake is a big hit with Sammy, who obviously enjoys being part of Xoom's product development. Shapiro looked just as delighted as he watched her lap up her treat from a bowl on a recent visit to the east-side store at 6222 E. Speedway.
"She has been the most perfect dog for me in the world — We grew up together in Tucson," said Shapiro, who adopted her as a puppy eight years ago from the Foundation For Animals in Risk (FAIR) shortly after he moved here from San Francisco.
"She found me as much as I found her," he said.
Shapiro said he's always loved dogs but hadn't grown up with them. "I've learned a lot from her," he said, "including how to live in the moment."
More Xoom news
Shapiro plans to move his third location, which he opened in 2003 at 3055 N. Campbell Ave., downtown in September.
He will open in the One North Fifth building, formerly known as the MLK building, at 1 N. Fifth Ave. Xoom Juice will share the first floor along with other tenants including a new Yoga Oasis. The six-floor structure also has 96 apartments.
Shapiro, who previously lived in New York and San Francisco, says he's excited to be in an urban area, and has long gotten requests to move downtown.
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