We recently partnered up with Jami Nelson of Just Juice in Nisswa, MN to up-level your Boreal Bliss Yoga Retreat experience. At both of our 2023 winter yoga retreats in Hackensack, you will be able to add-on an order of deliciously fresh juice. All registered retreaters have (or will) receive a link to purchase this delightful addition. Learn more about the incredible journey of Jami and her juice!

Can you tell us a little bit about yourself?

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 lifelong 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.

Can you tell us a bit about how you got started?

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 holistic 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 suitcase full of goodies and get to work! I love listening to 90’s music and podcasts while juicing

What aspect of your business are you most proud of? Jazzed about?

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. I am most jazzed about expanding my business in a new way that will reach more people, I am currently working with the State of Minnesota on that one! Stay tuned for more details!

Can you tell us about some obstacles you've had to overcome?

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!

What is your favorite thing about offering healthy, organic, food in outstate MN?

My favorite thing is when people who are newer to a healthy lifestyle or juice try the juice for the first time and they say "wow, that actually is really good!" It's almost a new beginning for them-as though they believe in themselves that they might just actually enjoy something that is healthy!

What are your top three most popular juices?

Hands down in the summertime-Watermelon+Pineapple+Orange, it is so ridiculously refreshing and delicious. For a year-round favorite-apple+orange+carrot+sweet potato, this was one of my very first recipes and most anyone enjoys drinking that one! I make wellness shots that are little powerhouses and people can't get enough of the apple+lemon+beet+ginger, that is a year-round staple as well that is a go-to for many people.

What is your favorite part about partnering with Boreal Bliss and Northern Yoga and Wellness?

I am so incredibly excited to partner with Boreal Bliss and Northern Yoga and Wellness because I get the opportunity to surround myself with likeminded people who have a true appreciation for health and wellness. My favorite part so far is how welcoming they have been to me and how open they are to trying all kinds of things! It is a true honor to come alongside such a successful operation and to be a part of something so great that adds such massive value to the lives of the guests attending the retreats.

How can we support you?

You can support me by swinging into one of the locations that sells Just Juice whenever you are in the Brainerd Lakes Area! You can also support me by following me on social media: IG:jamisjustjuice FB:justjuice or signing up for my newsletter at www.thejustjuiceco.com

Keep spreading the word about how consuming juice makes you feel and we can continue to create an overall healthier community in Minnesota and beyond!

Just Juice + Boreal Bliss Yoga Retreats