Juice bar with big plans busts due to COVID

A Brisbane juice and smoothie bar, started by two entrepreneurs and backed by a rich lister and well-known figure in the city’s luxury car scene, has collapsed into liquidation. Owners had planned to launch nationally and take on mega-chain Boost Juice.

A Brisbane juice bar started by two young entrepreneurs and backed by one of the city’s business kings has collapsed into liquidation this week.

Pulp Juice Co, which had two stores on the city’s northside and plans for national expansion, was put under the control of liquidator Brendan Nixon on Tuesday.

The juice bar, a competitor to mega-chain Boost Juice, was launched in 2019 by Jesse Wood, rich lister Martin Roller, Brett Heyward and Ryan Scott – however Mr Roller and Mr Heyward quit as company directors soon after it was founded.

Mr Roller is a well-known figure on Brisbane’s luxury car scene having sold Ferraris, Lamborghinis and built a BMW empire.

Earlier this year the Pulp Juice Co was hiring staff for its two stores – at The Gap and Lutwyche Shopping Centre – and had launched a mobile juice van.

However, COVID-19 saw its revenue shrink, resulting in the Lutwyche store being closed last month and The Gap store this week as the company collapsed into liquidation owing little to creditors.

Pulp Juice Co had operated a van before COVID-19.

According to its website Pulp was founded to progress the directors’ “passion for health, fitness, wellbeing and our love of community”.

“In our local area where we live and train, we noticed that it was difficult to get healthy smoothies and juices, so we set about creating Pulp,” the website said.

“We aim to take Pulp to community shopping centres and village malls all across Australia, giving people access to delicious healthy options, close to where they live, and making it easy to drink a rainbow of nutrition everyday.”

The company’s directors could not be reached for comment.

Mr Nixon of SM Solvency, who took control of Pulp’s two trading companies – ACN 634 253 562 and ACN 629 335 128 – said it was a victim of the year’s tragic economic conditions.

“The juice businesses were operated by a couple of young, local entrepreneurs who were unexpectedly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic,” he said.

“By the end of next week, I will have issued my first reports to creditors and held the first meetings of creditors for each of the companies.”