Today we’d like to introduce you to Jami Nelson.
Hi Jami, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
My backstory-I grew up just North of the Twin Cities and came to the Brainerd Lakes Area on weekends to our cabin on the Gull River. I fell in love with the area and it forever holds a special place in my heart. After a few years spent at the University of Minnesota-Duluth pursuing a Secondary Education Degree, my heart longed for the Brainerd Area. Hospitality was where my passion to serve others started to bloom. I loved being a server on the West Side of Gull Lake! I made so many meaningful connections and met some incredible people along the way. It also lit the entrepreneurial spirit within me. I learned the ropes of the restaurant industry really quick and loved it all! From washing dishes to ordering and eventually becoming a general manager and an event coordinator, I took it all in! The guests that came into the restaurants quickly became my family. The staff connections I made have turned into life long friendships. It is because of this foundation that I have been able to achieve this level of success and blaze a trail as a young woman business owner.
Just Juice started as a fun and easy way for me to add in more fruits and vegetables to my life. In the summer of 2016, my husband and I watched the Joe Cross documentary “Fat Sick and Nearly Dead.” We were deeply inspired to try juicing, so we gave it a shot! I could not believe how quickly I felt a new level of energy and overall well-being that I hadn’t experienced in so long. As I mentioned before, I was managing some very busy restaurants in the Brainerd Lakes Area at the time, eating well, working out and resting were not on the priority list. So I had to find a way of make eating healthier quicker, delicious and convenient. I wanted to run on all cylinders and show up as the very best version of myself. Juicing was that key for me. It unlocked the door to the level of heath that I am at now. It became the first habit that I created towards and overall healthier lifestyle and a new way of living.
The business idea began as something I didn’t expect. I wasn’t looking for a career change, I could however feel myself growing out of the restaurant lifestyle. It would start by me bringing my own juices in to drink and employees asking me what I had and wanting to try it. Soon enough, they all wanted to pay me to make them one. I was bringing in flats of juice before I knew it! I started researching other juice business in places like New York and LA and Florida. I could feel it in my heart that I wanted to and could create something like that to offer in the Brainerd Lakes Area. I want people to have options of products that are healthy, delicious, convenient and consistently unique.
From there, I wanted to further my education in Holistic Health. I attended The Institute of Integrative Nutrition out of New York to expand my knowledge on overall wellness. I became a certified Holistic Health Coach.
The nuts and bolts side of the business-
Raw unpasteurized juice is somewhat heavily regulated in the state of Minnesota and in the United States as a whole. It must be sold directly to the consumer unless it is pasteurized. Pasteurization raises the temperature of the juice, and then quickly brings it back down. Killing any living microorganisms, including the healthy ones. If you’re drinking a bottle of juice that has a shelf life of longer than 7 days, it’s likely been through the pasteurization process. Just Juice products are not pasteurized, I love and value the benefits of raw fruits and vegetables in their natural form. Not wanting to raise the temperature of the juices led me to create a new business model that is unique only to Just Juice! I travel two days a week to 4 different locations around the Brainerd Lakes Area, make fresh juices and stock it on the shelves for people to grab and go. You can find the juices at The Crow Wing Food Co Op in Brainerd, VonHanson’s in Baxter, Schaefer’s in Nisswa and MN Traders Co. in Pequot Lakes. I haul in the passenger seat of my Honda CR-V, my 75 pound commercial juicer. Buckled in and all. I bring in my lids, bottles and rolling suit case full of goodies and get to work! I love listening to 90’s music and podcasts while juicing!
In 2021, I launched an additional offering of the business- Elevate Wellness Events. This idea came together organically with a like minded business woman. Another business dream that has come to reality! Our events consist of Yoga Experiences paired with Fresh Juices or Healthy food and beverages. We host events at places like Ernies and Zorbaz on Gull Lake, private homes, Mount Ski Gull and her studio Notice Wellness in downtown Nisswa to name a few. Our mission is to create unique, fun and memorable ways for the Brainerd Lakes Area to experience natural health and wellness while building a sense of community and belonging.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lesson you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
I would say the hard part of getting the business going and growing was learning to comply with the State of Minnesota’s regulations of Raw Unpasteurized juices.
Also, encouraging people to try consuming vegetables in liquid form is not the easiest of jobs either! People have learned to trust my recipes and will try most anything I come up with now!
Balancing a full time career and building the business along the way was challenging in the beginning as well. I wasn’t sure if the Brainerd Lakes Area was ready for a new concept like juicing. I would work 50 hours in the restaurants and juice for an additional 4-6 hours each week making small batches to see if the idea would take.
Learning what fruits and vegetables pair well together to pack the most nutrient-dense beverages that taste amazing and look visually stimulating was a learning process as well!
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I create fresh, organic juices that help make consuming fruits and vegetables just a little easier and more fun!
I specialize in creating recipes that promote health, healing and well-being.
I am known for trying new ways to incorporate a healthy lifestyle in a fun and enjoyable way.
I am most proud of the people in our community that have trusted me to help them in their health journey. I am proud of the cancer patients I have gotten to make juices for. The people that consume these juices and beverages that I make are willing to put their health first, take it into their own hands and see drastic changes in their lifestyle and overall well-being. I am proud of the work I have put into getting these products into multiple stores in our area. Although there have been a lot of “no’s” from the MN Department of Agriculture, that has and will never stop me from pivoting and finding another way to make it happen. I am proud of the businesses that trust me to come each week to fill their shelves and promote a product that they believe in as well. I am proud of the juices themselves. The healing power of nature never ceases to amaze me. I am proud of the farmers that put the time and energy into organic practices to ensure the best product possible!
What sets me apart from others is my relentless pursuit to achieve health and wellness through natural healing, make it fun and share it with others. I do whatever it takes to provide the healthiest beverage options in the Brainerd Lakes Area. When it comes to the events with Yoga and Juicing, we create a wellness experience that is unique to each person. We create a fun and comfortable environment for people to experience true and natural health and wellness.
We’d be interested to hear your thoughts on luck and what role, if any, you feel it’s played for you?
I am not sure luck is the term I would use for anything that has played a part in the success of this business. The word Opportunity rings a bit more true for me. From the very beginning, the hospitality group that I worked for allowed me the opportunity to start this business within theirs to see if the Brainerd Lakes Area was ready for it. Rather than purchasing a brick and mortar building, I was able to test the market within their restaurants. It was clear to me in a very short time, that indeed our area was more than ready for healthier options!
Our daycare closing was an opportunity as well. My husband and I were face to face with the decision to find another daycare or take a big leap to grow the Juice business and end my career outside the home. That was when the major shift happened and things really started to grow. As soon as I could put more attention, clarity, creativity and growing the business, it took off.
The opportunities and trust that the businesses and consumers have given me have been earned by hard work, dedication to excellence and commitment to my brand and the community of the Brainerd Lakes Area.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.thejustjuiceco.com
- Instagram: jamisjustjuice
- Facebook: Just Juice
Image Credits
MN Traders Co.
