Juisibox Founder Creatively Inspires People to Eat Their Veggies
Jun 30, 2022 09:31AM ● By Sheila JulsonNyisha
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.
Hammond
researched electric foods—non-acidic, whole, living foods such as apples,
berries, oranges and melons. “But there was no way to consume all of
these foods with so many things to do, appointments to get to and not much time
to eat,” she says. Hammond, who holds a bachelor’s degree in biology, used her
background in science and a juicer her grandmother had given her almost a
decade prior to experiment in the kitchen.
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.”
Juisibox
is located at 1919 Fruitville Pike, Lancaster. For more information, call
717-333-4194 or visit Juisibox.com.