juice. Nashville – Restoring Health One Bottle at a Time

Nashville Wraps’ customer Stephanie Waring started feeling so sick it landed her in the hospital for days at a time. Doctors couldn’t figure out what was wrong. Stephanie never considered her diet might be the problem, until her brother, who had recently started juicing, encouraged her to buy a juicer.

Having tried everything and “at the end of her rope”, she had nothing to lose. Stephanie started juicing and immediately began feeling better.  She was amazed how a small change could make such a huge difference and and wanted to help others get healthy too.

juice. Nashville is Born

So with her husband Wes’ blessing, she quit her corporate job with Mars, Inc. (the candy company) and together they started “juice. Nashville” – the very first cold pressed juicery in Tennessee that summer of 2011. They sold their first bottle of juice and quickly sold out at the Nashville Farmer’s Market.

Their mission was to bring the gift of health to every “body” with each bottle of their handcrafted, cold pressed juice. Right away got a lot of great feedback from customers on the various blends and quickly the demand increased for their juice. Customers wanted more availability so they added pick-up locations at like-minded businesses as well as home and office delivery.

Last year they had the opportunity to open storefront on Division Street in Nashville’s popular Gulch area. Stephanie explains, “At first, we were apprehensive about the cost of build out, but when we saw the space, we knew our customers would love it and this would be the perfect place to open the first “juice. Nashville” retail shop!”

They launched a Kickstarter campaign (video below) to help raise funds for the store.  With the help of 255 backers from across the country supporting their project, they opened their doors in July 2013.  Since 2009, Kickstarter has joined 5.8 million people pledging over $1 billion with 57,000 creative projects that needed funding.

Stephanie says, “It was the best decision we have made – we absolutely love being a part of The Gulch! People here really love supporting all things local. The neighborhood highlights some of the best and brightest stars in the city.”  They recently opened a juice bar inside Hendersonville Produce – northeast of Nashville.

Starting a Healthy Food Revolution

“We have seen a dramatic increase in people wanting to embrace a healthier lifestyle. We are a part of a ‘healthy food revolution’ in Nashville. People are sick and tired of being sick and tired. Every day we have customers as far away as Kentucky and Alabama wanting to find balance, while finding easy ways to increase fruits and vegetables in their diet.

“Our goal is to help Tennessee become known for being one of the healthiest states in the country,” adds Stephanie.

juice. Nashville uses a hydraulic press that does not apply heat to receive three to five times more nutrition including vitamins, minerals, and living enzymes vs. standard juicers. Each 16 oz. bottle contains 2-4 lbs. of vegetables and/or fruits. It can be chilled up to three days and several weeks in the freezer without losing nutrition, flavor or color which is impossible with a standard juicer. Read some of their customer testimonials here.

Their best-selling blends include my favorite “sing.” (kale, spinach, green apple & lemon), “c ya.” (orange, grapefruit, apple & ginger) and “snap.” (apple, carrot & ginger). However, “the cleanse.” kit is the shining star of their business. It consists of five cold-pressed juices and one almond milk. They love supporting local Farms including Delvin Farms and Green Door Gourmet to source local and organic produce as much as possible. 

The Perfect Green Bag

When they began their business, they needed to find a shopping bag that was water-resistant and strong enough to hold multiple bottles during delivery.  Stephanie searched Google for “local packaging Nashville” and up came “Nashville Wraps”. She found the perfect citrus green bag that delivered everything they needed with exceptional quality made in the USA from 25% recycled plastic. Recently, they added their logo to the bags and customers love them. Stephanie says, “I am a huge fan of Nashville Wraps. I always tell fellow entrepreneurs and customers about one of our favorite local businesses!”

Stephanie’s Certainties for Entrepreneurs

1. You will work long hours.
2. There will be times that you will want to give up.
3. Not everyone will like your business or your product.

She says that if you are willing to accept these “truths” then you have conquered 90% of the battle. We are so grateful for Stephanie and Wes. They feel honored to be sharing this business together with their daughter and the close relationships they have with their customers and creating new blends and living their “destiny”. Watch this great video used in their Kickstarter campaign: