Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Petra Nwosu. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Petra, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Who is your hero and why? What lessons have you learned from them and how have they influenced your journey?

My parents, Godfrey Sr. and Siata are my heroes. They have been married for over 35 years and are truly best friends! One of the main lessons I have learned from my parents is that being married isn’t always going to be 50/50. For instance, there will be times when one person may only have 25% to give on all levels. I’ve personally witnessed my parents extend grace to each other and carry the other 75%. That’s true partnership.

My husband and I have been married for 5 years with 3 kids ( ages 4, 2 and 1). If you are married with children then you understand being a spouse and a parent is not for the faint of heart. My husband, Emeka is a full-time Pharmacist and entrepreneur like myself. So extending grace to each other and covering one another when the tank is empty is something I think we are mastering and no longer feel guilty about.

My parents have always encouraged us to remain good friends as we raise our children because one day they will leave us and it’ll just be us two again. I find this to be very important especially as we navigate through all of our roles. My parents have definitely influenced my outlook on making sure to keep God first, spouse second, children third and everything else should fall into place after those three.

Petra, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

My name is Petra Nwosu and I am the owner of Fruitful Juice Bar located in Clarksville, MD. My love for juicing began in the 90’s when my great- great grandmother, DRW grew most of her produce in her backyard and would juice it. The only choice I had was to drink it because it was “healthy”. Growing up my mother would also juice and I found her recipes to be a bit more “tasty” and tolerable but still very earthy. Smoothies also became a huge thing in our family and I somehow became the guru for customizing them.

In graduate school I had the opportunity through my social work program to intern in Cochin, India for about 5 months. While I was there my love for juicing was birthed. I enjoyed tasting and trying different juices while I was there and learning about the health benefits of each ingredient. When I returned home I quickly took out the masticating juicer and started juicing more frequently. I immediately knew that I wanted to open up some sort of juice and or smoothie bar in the near future.

At this point in my life I was an entrepreneur but didn’t have any restaurant experience. Until a childhood friend of mine shared the steps on how to get started. My husband and I opened the doors of Fruitful Juice Bar in December of 2022.

At Fruitful Juice Bar we believe in customizations. I would say customers are able to customize about 70% of our current menu. For instance, right now we find that our customers really enjoy customizing their smoothie blends. We truly take pride in offering the best customer service whether that’s addressing our customers by name, making suggestions based on their dietary needs or sharing our favorite item(s) on the menu. We treat our customers like family. #Fruitfulfam

Any thoughts, advice, or strategies you can share for fostering brand loyalty?

Aside from the social media platforms and groups we have a rewards program for our customers through our POS system. We encourage customers to sign up for free to be a part of our rewards program and stay up to date with the latest announcements. Our Fruitful Fam love this because they are able to accumulate points while receiving discounts and redeeming free menu items.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

Work (ie. fulfilling so many roles) with no breaks = burnout. Burnout is a real thing. I had my first true experience of burnout when I became a mother for the very first time. With the help from my support system and witnessing my mom practice Self-care throughout my childhood I knew that I had to figure something out quickly! I consider myself to be somewhat of a Self-care advocate so I am very familiar with “burnout” and can sense the signs of it coming. To keep burnout at bay I try my best to carve out times where I practice self-care daily. Little things such as sitting in front of my house for a few minutes to gather myself before I go into the house or solo lunch dates before I pick up the kids. I find implementing little acts of self-care daily works best for me.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.fruitfuljuicebar.com
• Instagram: @petravnwosu
• Other: Juice Bar @fruitfuljuicebar