Nyisha Hammond knows what it’s like to overcome adversity. Her plans of completing graduate school at George Washington University were halted in 2017 after she sustained serious injuries from two car accidents within a short period of time. During her recovery, she learned that juicing was an efficient way to get the boost of nutrients she needed to heal. This led her to form Juisibox raw, cold-pressed juices.

After the accidents, Hammond struggled to recover from her neurological wounds, including traumatic brain injury, vertigo and post-traumatic stress disorder. A neurologist advised that she lose weight. She had noticed that another doctor whose care she was under had bowls of bananas and fruit around the office. “I asked his secretary about that, and she said the doctor was a believer in eating foods with life and electricity,” Hammond reflects.

Not only did consuming nutrient-dense juice blends help Hammond recover, but it inspired her to launch a business while being unable to work full-time after the accidents. She began crafting juices in commercial kitchen space rented from a local church, and in 2020, started selling at festivals and farmers markets. “I always sold out. At that point, I knew I had a product.” She eventually rented a stand at Lancaster Marketplace. Recently, she moved Juisibox into a brick-and-mortar location on Fruitville Pike, in Lancaster.

Hammond notes that some green juices get a bad rap because people don’t like wheat grass. She makes her juices more palatable by pairing them with fruits like fresh apples from local Amish orchards. Her first five flavors, Pink Hibiscus, Caribbean Sunset, Yellow Lily, Safari and Tropical Sensation, contain creative combinations of healthy fruits, vegetables and herbs such as apples, pineapples, berries, peppers, squash, turmeric, wheat grass, ginger and citrus zest. She notes that the juices are a hit with kids, as well as adults. There are 16 juice varieties available at the juice bar or bottled to go.

Hammond emphasizes that all her juices are made from electric produce that is naturally alkaline, which helps boost the immune system. The juices are raw and cold-pressed, not heated, so they retain all of the nutrients.

At Juisibox, customers can also find 3-day juice, smoothie or soup detox packages and wellness shots. “I created turmeric shots and ginger shots to help improve brain function,” Hammons says. The shots can be consumed alone or combined into a juice. There are also vegan snacks, salads and soups such as summer squash minestrone.

Hammond firmly believes that food is medicine and strives to bring more healthful options to the people of Lancaster. The journey of forming and growing Juisibox has been a lot of work, but also very rewarding. “I’m inspired by the wellness culture that I’m setting,” she says. “People are more aware of the importance of their health, and juice is an easy, convenient way to get nutrients from fruits and vegetables.”