(WBBM NEWSRADIO) — After a diagnosis of pre-diabetes, Danielle Marshall decided to start juicing.
Through Danie’s Natural Juice Blends, she and her partner make cold-pressed juices in flavors that include Blue Magic, Turmeric Sunrise and Strawberry Lemonade out of a commercial space in Park Forest.
“We pull all of the goodness that we’re going to get from our fruit and vegetables into juice so that we can fill our bodies with goodness,” Marshall said.
Marshall knows juice often gets a bad rap for its sugar content but noted that natural sugar is processed differently in the body than artificial sweeteners.
The licensed speech pathologist started selling to co-workers and grew through farmers markets in Chicago and the south suburbs.
While COVID-19 crushed many small businesses, it launched hers further.
“We actually experienced exponential growth as a result of COVID, due to people understanding the value of what we get from the earth,” she said.
Talking at a busy park in Logan Square, Marshall was wearing chunky glasses and a big smile — just like what’s on her freezable plastic bags.
She switched after her initial packaging of mason jars were too heavy and hard to keep in stock.
Danie’s Natural Juice Blends offers subscriptions and Marshall said she hopes to expand sales beyond farmers markets and some Mariano’s locations for people interested in healthier drinks.
“There’s a lot involved, and so we say, ‘Let us juice for you,’” she said.
Danie’s Natural Juice Blends, Made in Chicago.
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