By Andy Brophy

WESTPORT–Residents who like smoothies at Barvida will no longer have to travel to New Canaan or Darien this winter.

Brennan Branca, 32, and Tara Rose Schreiber, 31, an engaged couple in Greenwich and owners of Barvida, plan to open a Barvida in downtown Westport in early 2027. The upcoming Westport Barvida will be at 14 Post Road East, across from Starbucks.

“We have a lot of Westport guests,” Schreiber said in an interview at Starbucks on Friday. “It’s been really helpful to have people coming from Westport. People in Westport have been coming to Barvida and saying we should come here.” Schreiber said she and Branca looked to open in Westport before opening their third Barvida in Greenwich last year. “We were just looking for the right location,” she said.

Branca said Barvida’s done a lot of events in Westport and has a partnership with Rhone, an athletic apparel store on Main Street. “We’ve actually kind of built a community in Westport and know a lot of people there,” he said.

In addition to Westport, Branca and Schreiber are planning to open a Barvida in Scarsdale, N.Y. in early 2027.

Branca said Barvida is unique from other businesses that sell smoothies because they heavily focus on cold-pressed juices, smoothies and acai bowls, which are a thick smoothie with a fruit topping, and don’t focus much on coffee and food.

Branca said smoothies are popular because they’re a great way to have a quick, nutritious and filling meal. “Our model is a little bit of a grab-and-go item, a great way to pack all nutrients into one item,” he said. “It’s a quick, easy way to get all your nutrients.”

Schreiber said Barvida’s smoothies are made to order with organic ingredients and that she and Branca have been “huge fans of smoothies for years” and “live that lifestyle.”

Barvida’s sells one size of smoothies – 16 ounces – and smoothies at the couple’s first store in Darien, which opened in November 2020, typically sell for $10 to $20.

Barvida will have a front and back entrance in Westport, with all the parking in back, and likely initially be open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Branca said. He said he and Schreiber will begin looking to hire people to work at the Westport Barvida in a couple of months.

Schreiber said the name “Barvida” means “Life bar” and that the couple wants Barvida to be “an all-encompassing healthy place.” 

Andy Brophy

Andy Brophy is an experienced Fairfield County journalist. Andy was a staff writer at The Connecticut Post for 10 years. He also wrote for the Norwalk Hour, Fairfield Minuteman, Fairfield Patch and weekly newspapers in Westport, Fairfield and Norwalk. When not reporting, Andy enjoys playing chess and listening to pianist Art Tatum. ^_.