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

Elizabeth, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. We’d love to hear your thoughts about family businesses.

I have such a heart for Family businesses. There is something so special to me to walk into an establishment and see multigenerational family members working in their store together. From the time I was a little girl I remember going to “help” my Mom at her bookstore when she had to work on the weekends. I would bring my bag of toys and coloring books to stay occupied but I remember how much I wanted to be my Moms little helper. She would have me stock the book shelves or bag items that customers had purchased.

Fast forward 32 years and just the other day I needed my daughters Olivia (11) and Mackenzie (9) to join me at work and help prepare for the next day. Rather than playing with toys or watching a Christmas movie in our lobby both my girls jumped at the chance to be a Juice Ninja for the day. Whether it’s cutting lemons or washing dishes they get so excited to go to Juice Bar because they see it as our families home away from home. Having fun is part of the job at Juice Bar!

Elizabeth, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

My name is Liz and I am the owner of I love Juice Bar- Spring Hill. I’m not native Tennessean but I love calling Nashville home. I grew up in the suburbs of Boston, Massachusetts but if you mention a handful of states along the East coast there is a good chance that I’ve lived there. One of my favorite things about moving to different areas of the country is meeting new people and experiencing their cultures. I love talking with people and visiting small shops (typically coffee houses) because you get to hear so many stories as to what people are passionate about. That’s actually how my path began as a business owner.

From the time I was 19 I started paying attention to the roles food and exercise have as a major component in not only your physical but also your mental wellness. When I got into my 30’s I began doing Obstacle Course Races to challenge myself physically. I was never the fastest by any means or the strongest but I gained confidence and felt better on so many levels while training for one. Depending on what I was consuming nutritionally it would have a major role in how my body performed while racing.

Trying to find healthy food options when you’re busy juggling all that is life can make staying on track nutritionally so challenging if not impossible. Then one day I came across The Juice Bar which aimed at offering affordable, approachable products to support a healthy lifestyle. Located in the heart of Spring Hill inside The Historic Kissing House. It’s like something you’d see on a Hallmark movie, a home from the 1800’s that has a business located within its walls. There is a swing that hangs from the Maple tree in the front yard, surrounded by picnic tables for guests. I fell in love immediately.

At this stage of my life I was a single mother and my two little girls had just began school so I needed to go back to work. I have worked in the restaurant industry for most of my adult life so I thought this would be a fun twist to what I was used to. Juice Bar was so unique. I really admire that as a brand Juice Bar never takes the short cut or sacrifices the quality of ingredients for profit. They prioritize nutrition without sacrificing taste.

I was so excited to begin as their Kitchen manager creating vegetarian, gluten free food with 100% whole fruits and vegetables. What sets our menu apart from competitors, we never use ice, fillers, artificial ingredients or added sugars. Wellness doesn’t have to be high maintenance. Eating healthy shouldn’t have to be so complicated or time consuming. Even if you’re in a hurry you can feel confident that you’re packing a lot of nutrition into an easily consumable, tasty treat. All of our proteins are plant based and we are very conscious of being gluten free in all of our offerings.

Fast forward five plus years, I have since met my incredible husband Handel and we have built a wonderful life with our seven children in Spring Hill . In August of 2022, Handel and I purchased the franchise from the original owners who were off to their own New Adventures. We are so excited to be apart of the small business community in Spring Hill and I can’t wait to see where this story takes us.

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Have you ever had to pivot?

It was March of 2020 and we were a small business in the midst of the Covid Pandemic. Like so many other businesses we had a decision to make, do we continue to serve our community or do we close our doors to the public for an indefinite amount of time & hope we can reopen. For us Juice Bar isn’t just a concept, we truly believe in the power of whole foods and the medicinal benefits they have in our bodies. Building and maintaining a strong immune system is one of our fundamental beliefs. We transitioned for a time to curbside dining but in doing so we no longer had the same foot traffic in store so a lot of our ingredients weren’t being used.
As the kitchen manager at this stage I looked around and realized how much inventory we had that would inevitably be waisted since they’re perishable items.

Having a large family with seven children I know how expensive it can be to feed my kids especially when it comes to snacks. At home I would make peanut butter protein bites for them as a quick snack that would not only satisfy their sweet tooth but sustain their appetite until dinner time. We had all of the same ingredients at Juice Bar so I threw together my recipe and we sampled out bites to our guests as they picked up their togo orders. Within a single day we sold out. Each batch makes around 20 bags.

I was in shock, our guests LOVED them and even without being listed on our official menu they would ask for them daily. I couldn’t believe that a recipe I used at home would take off as quickly as it did.

Thankfully today we now have inside dining and our guests can find a variety of Protein Bites in our grab n go everyday. They come in packs of 6 and the flavors include
Peanut Butter, Almond Butter, and Pumpkin Spice (seasonally)

Do you have any stories of times when you almost missed payroll or any other near death experiences for your business?

During the first month of our transition of ownership our corporate franchise was in the process of their own transition of sorts. They were changing payroll software and it was a nightmare. I woke up to a text message the first Friday our staff was to be paid under my LLC, it was from an employee that hadn’t been paid. This is every owners worst nightmare. Especially during a time when most struggle to find workers.

At first I thought did I do something incorrectly. Was this an isolated issue to our store specifically or was this a company issue? Was I responsible? How do I fix this? How awful does this look, on the first payday since the transition of ownership their paychecks weren’t going to be deposited on time. I felt like I failed as their leader and we were only a few weeks in.

As nervous as I was to go into the store I ran over there to speak with them directly and I felt it important to be working with them like it were a normal day. So once I got word from the head of operations in our corporate office our staff would know immediately what was happening.

I could have stayed in my office working remote and just told them it would be taken care of by the end of the business day but I felt like it was more important to be honest and transparent about what was happening behind the scenes with our software. Their support was something I will NEVER forget.

We were able to cut checks that day and it was quickly rectified but at that time our employees didn’t know how quickly their banks would accept the funds, nor did I. So it truly was their patience and support that turned a nightmare into a team building experience.
We spent the day as a team and we overcame our first hiccup as a new business. Communication is the most important key to any good relationship. That day I learned that even when we don’t know the problem that may arise at any given time, being honest with your employees and in person to answer any questions is so important.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.ilovejuicebar.com
• Instagram: juicebarspringhill
• Facebook: Juice Bar- Spring Hill