Once you’ve discovered that your Schwinn ExerCycle is not really a time machine, what to do? Well, if you’re Ryan Carpenter of MOBERI you take that ExerCycle out of your parents basement, strap a blender to it and transform it into a pedal-powered, smoothie-making contraption that looks like it might have been cobbled together from several cast-off Stars Wars robots.

the moberi cart at n mississippi and beach

From the streets of Portland to a triumphant Kickstarter campaign to an appearance on the ABC Television show “Shark Tank,” Ryan has ridden the stationary bikes of MOBERI to a successful food-cart enterprise with three locations and a mobile cart for events.

the moberi food cart at n Mississippi and beech

Even though the “Sharks” were skeptical of the idea of pedal-powered smoothie machines at the time of Ryan and MOBERI’s appearance on “Shark Tank,” the venture has met with success. And the menu items that are currently riding a wave of popularity at MOBERI are the acai bowls.

the uncle jesse acai bowl at the moberi food cat

The most sought-after acai bowl is the Uncle Jesse (Full House not Dukes of Hazard). The bowl starts with a thick, blended base of Brazilian Acai berries, strawberries, bananas, and almond milk. The base is then topped with slices of banana, fresh berries, coconut, honey, peanut butter and granola. Other bowls are the Yoda, the Dragonbowl Z, and the Moberi.

the turtle power smoothie at the moberi food cat

The smoothies continue the theme of ’80s TV shows and movies with the Delorean, the Johnny Utah, the Captain Planet and for kids the Flux Capacitor. The smoothie that is most in demand at MOBERI is the Turtle Power. Kale, spinach, mango, banana, ginger, and apple. It’s very green, just like those four crime-fighting cartoon turtles.

the moberi food cart at n Mississippi and beech

MOBERI can be found at; N Beech and Mississippi (the original cart, open 9 AM–7PM each day), NW 23rd and Quimby (open 10–5 and 9–6 on weekends), and 1111 SW Stark (inside West End Bikes, 11–4, Monday–Saturday).

Listen now as Steven Shomler and Ken Wilson talk with Ryan Carpenter about MOBERI, the magic of Acai berries, the weirdness of “Shark Tank,” and a little thing known as the Hairy Wookiee.

PRP
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