Move over wheatgrass, there’s a new superfood in town: sweetgrass!
That’s right — the plant Indigenous people normally smudge with during ceremony is now making its debut as an alternative beverage, allowing happy customers to feel its cleansing force, both inside and out.
“The idea to liquefy sweetgrass came to me in a dream, to be honest,” said Evan McMillan, a lawyer who left his lucrative practice behind to dedicate himself to his three-month-old juice bar in Saskatoon.
“In my dream, I encounter two wolves, one named Killer, the other Kindly. I saw it as a sign, you know?”
Thus begat The One You Feed line of sweetgrass smoothies and juices, featuring locally-sourced and all organic ingredients, with the exception of some added glucose-fructose and a couple of emulsifiers.
“Our best seller is Reconciliation Raspberry,” said McMillan, though he notes it is slightly bitter to some palates.
“I swear it’s mostly the Indigenous clientele who find it hard to swallow, actually.”
And because business is brisk for this sweetgrass in a glass, McMillan is hopeful he can soon smoke out new markets for the concept.
“I just hope one day that millions will be consuming culture like this.”