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Rising Stars: Meet Caroline Yares

Today we’d like to introduce you to Caroline Yares.

Hi Caroline, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
It all started in 2012 in my my first home in Lino Lakes, where I was working a 8-5 job in the dental field full time. Around this time, we watched a few documentaries on Nexflix called Forks Over Knives, and Earthlings.

Immediately after watching these films, I had an instant shift in my perception of our food system and the world we live in. I always describe it as a light switch going on because that’s how it felt in my brain.

I was nervous, but the next day, I began the “No Meat May” challenge, where obviously, you abstain from eating meat for the entire month of May.
After the full 30 days was over, I realized just how simple it was for me to stop eating animals and animal products, that I became fulling vegan after that!

Instantly, I saw my health improve, including my skin, hair, and mindset and began to share what was happening for me with friends and family.

My love for this new life and way of living fueled me every day. I realized that I was passionate about this new lifestyle and I wanted to share it with the people around me.

Floating in our above ground pool in Lino Lakes one day, I told my partner, Tony, that I wanted to create some apparel to spread the message about going plant-based. I had been talking about how I wanted a license plate that said PLNT BSD… so it clicked! I would start making apparel with the phrase, PLNT BSD on it!

Friends reached out and the vegan community was interested in also repping some of our new gear, that we decided to sell these cruelty free, t-shirts and hoodies at local farmers markets and pop ups. The apparel was a hit, and I loved connecting with more plant based people at these events. Along the way, we made life-long friendships with people from this community, (vegans and omnivores) that supported my dreams and goals. It was refreshing.

Flash forward a few years later…

Every morning I would create smoothie bowls as a type of mediation in the morning. I would gather my ingredients, blend my base, and top each bowl differently and document via social media. People began to reach out and compliment my beautiful breakfast bowls every day and were interested in making or purchasing their own. This is where the smoothie bowl concept for PLNT BSD was born.

My passion for veganism, beautiful bowls, and spreading the plant based word, without the “in your face approach” merged together, and the PLNT BSD Smoothie Bowl Trailer was born!

We operated out of our trailer for 1 year, where we then opened a store front in downtown WBL, where we operated out of that location for 2 years.

Today, we are now back to the mobile business model, that will allow us more flexibility to do events, and work in a more flow state instead of a “grind” state.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Opening the store front was exciting, we had SO much help from family, friends and the community, but I was also a brand new mother to my first and only child, Luna. I realized quickly that if I wanted to be a full time mom and business owner, something had to give. And that something was my mental health first. Shortly after we opened, (actually 1 week into opening) a massive shutdown happened for restraints due to coronavirus. We had to pivot our business model to “to-go” only.

With being a new mom, and new business owner with employees and people relying on me, It was a difficult time to say the least. Thankfully, with the support of our followers and the community, we were able to remain open and actually had 2 successful seasons at the brick and mortar in downtown WBL.

Opening the store front help me grow as a leader and business owner because it allowed me to see what I liked and disliked about different aspects of the business. It allowed me to fine tune it so to speak, and ultimately lead me to the decision to go back to the mobile route, where I could once again fall in love with creating beautiful, 100% vegan smoothie bowls for our customers.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I believe that PLNT BSD isn’t just a “smoothie shop” or “smoothie business”. It’s an expressive, creative way to bring awareness to the benefits of a plant-based lifestyle and diet. We create beautiful 100% plant based smoothie bowls (and more) and bring awareness to the fact that plant based food doesn’t need to be boring, flavorless or bland.

What sets us apart from others is that we only use 100% plant based, vegan ingredients and no artificial ingredients as well.

We also pride ourselves on creating and experience while you enjoy your meal with the help of our decor, the aesthetics of the trailer and food, and the tropical lounge music you will find playing at the trailer.

What sort of changes are you expecting over the next 5-10 years?
Plant based eating is not just a fad or a trend. More and more people are opening their eyes to the benefits of eating vegan or mostly plant based. One thing we print ourselves on is not being “pushy” about going vegan or plant based. Of course, we wish everyone would adopt a good karma lifestyle, but we also know that everyone’s journey is different, but if we can make a difference with one meal at a time, then we are doing what we set out to do.

Pricing:

  • Bowls and smoothies between $8-$13
  • Offer private events and catering.

Contact Info:


Image Credits

@Kimlycurry (photo of smoothie bowl in ceramic container outside with flag)

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1 Comment

  1. KATE

    April 28, 2022 at 3:43 pm

    We LOVE PLNT BSD! A GEM in WBL

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