The story behind a Middletown smoothie cafe owned by couple

A Middletown shop offering healthy but tasty options marked its first anniversary this month and the owners are looking forward to more success as the city’s East End redevelops.

Irie Smoothie Cafe, located at 3429 Pendleton Circle, is a marriage of flavors and cultures — literally. Irina Avdeeva, 47, Peter Ainsworth, 54, met while Ainsworth was managing a hotel in West Chester Twp. and were married in 2023 just a month before signing a lease on the business.

Credit: Nick Graham

Credit: Nick Graham

Avdeeva is from Russia and Ainsworth is from Jamaica. Both are fitness enthusiasts who believe in eating healthy and encouraging the same for family and friends.

After purchasing a home in Middletown, Ainsworth said they were walking out of Planet Fitness in the Towne Mall one evening and he wanted a smoothie.

“There was no place in Middletown to get something healthy and nutritious and fast like a smoothie,” he said. “I thought I couldn’t be the only one who feels that way.”

Credit: Nick Graham

That night his wife whipped up a smoothie at home and developed a knack for combining flavors for the healthy treats.

And the idea was born. Settling on a name wasn’t hard.

The name comes from Ainsworth’s Jamaican heritage.

“Irie is the Jamaican word for good,” he said.

The cafe serves healthy fresh fruit and vegetable smoothies, juices and bowls. Nothing is from concentrate and there are no preservatives.

Soups are also on the menu along with fresh Jamaican beef patties, both spicy and mild.

The couple said they are excited about the ongoing new construction along Interstate 75 and especially the possibilities at the adjacent Towne Mall property which is now owned by the city.

“We are very, very excited about what will happen at the mall and just even thinking about the construction period. There is going to be a lot of people who are going to be work that will want to have a smoothie or Jamaican beef and chicken options,” Ainsworth said. “We are only going to get busier.”

Hours are 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday.