Wrexham juice bar owners make heartbreaking decision to close business

Gareth and Leanne Roberts, who run Raw Juice on Rhosddu Road, first attracted the attention of Trading Standards officers several months ago, when they were accused of promoting false or misleading health benefits in their juices and smoothies.

The couple were interviewed under caution by officers on Tuesday afternoon and were told that the matter will now be sent before a court, with the potential legal costs running into thousands of pounds, which has resulted in them making the devastating decision to close the business.

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Leanne said: “It’s already cost the tax payer well over £10,000 so far to get them to this point, so who knows how much more it will cost to actually prosecute us.

“They weren’t interested in what Gareth had to say or the evidence he provided. It’s absolutely ridiculous.”

Having taken the advice of their solicitor, the couple say the whole process has drained their passion for what they do, with one of the issues the council had including using the name ‘Raw Honey’ because “all honey is raw” and a post Leanne made on social media about the benefits of celery juice, which they were told at the interview would be used against them as evidence in court.

The names given to certain juices and smoothies, such as ‘Energiser’, ‘Brain Booster’ and ‘Skinny Jeans’ also caused the council to raise concerns, but Leanne says it’s not just about names.

She said: “We are not silly and if it was just the juice names, we would have changed them, but it goes a lot deeper than this and on a personal level.

“Gareth is heartbroken as it’s his passion and livelihood.”

Leanne said they have pointed out to officers the health risks posed by the many additives that are used in processed and take away foods, but have been told they are okay to use because they don’t actually need to be labelled, a decision which leaves the couple thinking they are “being prosecuted for pushing healthy food and products”.

The decision to close the business has caused a huge reaction on social media with many calling the actions of Wrexham Council “absolutely disgusting”, “disgraceful” and “shocking” while others have suggested setting up a ‘Go Fund Me’-type page to ensure the couple have the financial resources to take the matter to court.

A Wrexham Council spokesman said: “As this is part of an ongoing investigation it is not appropriate to comment at this moment in time.”