LUMI Juices

Hillary Lewis believes fruit and vegetables do their best work under pressure. Lewis’ Charlottesville-based LUMI juices—an acronym for “Love U, Mean It”—are created using a high-pressure processing machine, which Lewis says “looks like a giant spaceship,” to pack two pounds of produce into every 16-ounce bottle. Lewis, 29, had the idea for LUMI while in business school at UVA. After graduating in May 2013, she launched the business that July, had products on shelves by October and now has LUMI in approximately 300 stores and growing. The organic produce is first sliced by a rotating blade then slowly squeezed by a hydraulic press, extracting nothing but juice. Instead of settling for the traditional heat pasteurization process, which Lewis says “kills 40–60 percent of naturally occurring nutrients,” her NASA-looking machine kills bacteria with extreme water pressure, preserving the juice without damaging the flavor or nutrients. The result is a powerful bottle of liquid produce in alluringly alliterative flavors like Piedmont Pineapple and Miami Mango. $3.25–$7.99. LUMIJuice.com
See all the Made in Virginia 2015 Winners!
Overall Winner
Fern and Roby, Richmond
Home
Monolith Studios, Charlottesville (category winner)
Huger Embroidery, Richmond
Duvall Designs, Millwood
Owen Suter’s Fine Furniture, Richmond
Style
Shockoe Atelier, Richmond (category winner)
Rockbridge Guitar Company, Charlottesville
Melissa Lew Jewelry, South Riding
North End Bag Co., Virginia Beach
Drink
Belle Isle Craft Spirits, Richmond (category winner)
Early Mountain Vineyards, Madison
Texas Beach, Richmond
LUMI Juice, Charlottesville
Food
Brown Dog Handcrafted Premium Ice Cream, Cape Charles (category winner)
S. Wallace Edwards & Sons, Surry
Swover Creek Farms, Edinburg
Pennacook Peppers, Virginia Beach
Click here to see 2014 winners.
Click here to see 2013 winners.
Click here to see 2012 winners.