[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.4.8″ global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.4.8″ global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.4.8″ global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text admin_label=”Couple seeks to give back by providing healthy juice and raising health awareness” _builder_version=”4.10.6″ hover_enabled=”0″ global_colors_info=”{}” sticky_enabled=”0″]
Todd Sheridan and Nichelle Roane founded Treehouse Juicery five years ago mainly because Sheridan needed to heal.
“In college, I was very stressed and focused on typing essays, studying, writing, and maintaining somewhat of a social life,” said Sheridan, who graduated from Goucher College with a Bachelor’s degree in Business Communications. “I neglected my eating habits,”
Sheridan reminisced. “I was so tired of the gastric ulcers, hypertension, and being pre-diabetic that I went coldturkey vegan one day during the summer of 2012. That changed my life forever.”
At Treehouse Juicery, Sheridan and Roane sell pure cold-pressed juices. They offer four staple flavors of real juice with natural nutritional content packed with enzymes, minerals, micronutrients, and electrolytes.
The duo’s mission remains to nourish customers with good juices and spread a health awareness message to families. “I’ve been introduced to a plant-based journey which has been a very healing and disciplining experience for me,” Sheridan recounted. Roane said she has been a healthy consumer all of her life. She holds an associate’s degree in psychology from the Community College of Baltimore County and regularly practices yoga.
Their business journey was not without challenges, Roane stated. “One challenge we had to overcome was not having the resources and the necessary exposure available to scale the business,” she said. “Coming from corporate America, we didn’t have any extensive kitchen experience. We were completely self-taught. We didn’t have any mentors at the time who could help teach us the intricate details of starting a business, the funding involved, and the connections one would need.”
The former high school mates who are now engaged, started from the bottom, creating graphics, logos, menus, and connections. They also shelled out lots of cash to test recipes and flavors. “It’s been a long journey, but we’ve overcome the knowledge gap and financial hurdle by winning grants and gathering plenty of market research,” Roane said. “We became First Place Grant Recipients at a business plan competition facilitated by CCBC’s Center for Business Innovation.
“The seed funding allowed us to establish our foundation, create an online presence, and afford marketing to boost sales,” she further offered. Sheridan and Roane also earned acceptance into two renowned cohorts— the National Minority Small Business Council and Made in Baltimore. “We are optimistic that our affiliations have and will continue to help us succeed,” Roane said. “We also always take the opportunity to build relationships with new customers and fellow business owners in hopes to collaborate and support each other’s
missions.”
Sheridan concluded that the couple wants customers to know that a big part of their giving back to the community is spreading health awareness and donating their surplus juices to families in food deserts and impoverished communities.
“We know how little to no nutritional food options are lacking in the inner cities,” Sheridan said. “Kids and families rely heavily on terrible consumables masquerading itself as food. Food is supposed to nourish your body. Unfortunately, if people in food deserts are given access to fresh and healthy options, it usually is not as affordable as the less nutritional foods are. So we at Treehouse Juicery stand by our mission to give access to nutritious and delicious cold-pressed juices the entire family can enjoy, especially those in need.” To learn more about Sheridan and Roane’s company, Treehouse Juicery, visit: www.treehousejuiceryonline.com.
