Today we’d like to introduce you to Desiree Jenkins.
Hi Desiree, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
My business partner Giselle and I are originally from California, and have been long-term friends. Giselle met my brother in California and moved out to Duluth to follow him. I took a liking to the town after visiting them and decided to move out here as well. Giselle and I talked about opening a Juice Bar, and since we have experience working in them and Duluth was in need of a juice bar/ healthy smoothie shop, we decided to get the dream moving.
Giselle started the project by delivering juices to people’s homes and then renting a small space at the ending station then the red herring.
When I moved to town we opened our very own storefront on 15th Ave east under anytime fitness. That’s when we introduced a full food menu (plant-based). We were there for 2 years and expanded our business by opening a second location in the skywalk hunter building.
The two small locations were successful but as we were growing we needed a bigger space with more tables for people to sit in the house and relax.
We shut down our two small shops and opened our now large restaurant at 208 E 1st street (previously the red herring). It has been a success
Our menu is now gluten-free and we have more grab-and-go items. We also employ more staff and they all have a passion for healthy food. We operate as a family. It’s a fun place to be.
We recently upgraded our juicer to a cold press juicer and it’s massive enough to pump out the juice in high volume.
Yes, it has taken 6 years to get where we are today, but each year brings on more ideas and more power to improve-we can always improve.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Some of the major struggles was putting in long hours hustling physically and mentally. Giselle and I were the only employees for a while and had to work many hours and on the floor then had to work on the business when we got home. Sometimes our produce orders wouldn’t show up, so one of us would have to get to the store to buy bananas while the other one would be handling endless tickets in the shop. Those moments were stressful, but it’s a part of the initiation. I always saw success in front of me, and that’s what kept me going.
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?
Giselle and I care about using food to heal your body. We both are certified nutrition consultants and enjoy building meals to be delicious and nutritious.
We’ve created a Juice menu which is rich in vitamins and minerals as well as a menu with smoothie and acai bowls that contain superfoods.
We are proud to care about the health of our community. We are happy to make tasty meals that have the ability to make someone feel better.
What sets us apart is that we are a restaurant that shares knowledge about nutrition and cares about the planet.
We are probably the only restaurant in Duluth that will go far and beyond to Eliminate waste. We compost all of our juice pulp and food, we buy products that are 100% compostable. We buy back juice bottles, we encourage people to eat in-house so we can wash the dish instead of tossing away to go containers. We give credit if you bring in your own jar for smoothies and bowl for acai bowls.
We continue to do more, we want to do more.
What matters most to you? Why?
It’s important for us to help our customers and motifs dishes around allergies and food intolerance. It is equally important to provide our community with nutritious meals-and the flavors are incredible.
Pricing:
- $7-$16
Contact Info:
- Website: https://thepharmjuicebarandkitchen.com/
- Instagram: Juicepharm_
