So Black, so green: juice and smoothie bar opens on Lowry

Sierra Carter (left) and Tierra Armstrong (right) mix up a  "Jamakin' Me Crazy" and a "Respect Your Roots" at Got the Juice, the new juice and smoothie bar inside New Rules at 2015 Lowry Ave. N. The Jamakin' Me Crazy juice includes carrots, ginger, lemon, pineapple, and orange. The Respect Your Roots juice has beetroot, carrot, orange, apple, and lemon. 

By Cirien Saadeh | Staff Reporter

North Minneapolis has a brand new juice and smoothie bar. Got The Juice opened up on Monday, May 14 inside New Rules, a Black-owned co-working space on Lowry Ave. It's serving up organic and vegan smoothies and juices, while honoring Black culture and promoting wellness and self-care throughout the community. 

Got The Juice is a collaboration between New Rules and The Zen Bin, a Black-owned mind-body-soul health and healing business which operates out of New Rules. The Zen Bin hosts a number of healthy living and mindfulness events through New Rules, including yoga, dance, and painting classes, and workshops on a number of issues including healing trauma and financial intentionality.

Northsider Angel Peterson visited Got the Juice on May 15. The space is grab-and-go, but there is also limited seating for those who want to hang around. According to the owner, Sierra Carter, they hope to offer more seating space for Got The Juice customers in the future. Photo by Cirien Saadeh

“It’s a partnership. For us, it was about covering the health and wellness component of the ecosystem. Healthy food is something that the community asked for, what better way to introduce healthy food than juice and smoothies,” said New Rules President and CEO Chris Webley. According to Webley — and Got the Juice’s other owner Sierra Carter (owner & CEO of The Zen Bin)— they also have big plans to expand their menu and their number of locations. 

“We’re bringing intentional awareness about indulging in healthy living to North Minneapolis, an awareness of self-care and intentionality,” said Carter.

According to Carter, Got The Juice will be adding protein powders and protein shots to its menu on May 16. They also have plans to add soups, salads, and sandwiches in the future. Their hope and goal is to work with local farmers and growers to eventually source their ingredients from within North Minneapolis. Right now, all their products are sourced from Minnesota growers. 

Got The Juice’s current menu includes a number of smoothies and juices which are named after and meant to cultivate Black culture. Webley recommends the Wakanda North and the Just Green. Carter recommends the So-Fresh-So-Green smoothie, which she says has been their most popular drink thus far. 

The response from the community has been positive since Got the Juice opened earlier this week. “It’s great to be able to get green smoothies and juices here instead of going over South. I’m a vegetarian. I saw this on Facebook yesterday, so I came in to try it. I’ll definitely be back,” said Angel Peterson, a Northsider who visited the smoothie and juice bar for the first time on May 15 and ordered the Green Ting juice, which combines spinach, apple, pineapple, and celery.

Juices and smoothies at Got The Juice are $5 for a $12 oz. glass. Photo by Cirien Saadeh

According to Webley, “social media manifested a really good opening day” on May 14 as Northsiders posted their excitement about North Minneapolis' newest small business. Webley and Carter credit Sammy McDowell, owner of Avenue Eatery on West Broadway Ave. with mentoring them through the process of opening a food business in North Minneapolis. The new juice and smoothie bar is celebrating its grand opening through May 18 and will be open from 10am - 7pm during that time. They will be open Monday - Saturday during the summer (fall hours will be announced later on in the summer). 

Check their Facebook page for the most up to date information.