First USDA-Certified Organic Juice Bar Franchise Gives $13,000 in Scholarships for Outstanding Juicerista Performers
Clean Juice, the first and most prolific USDA-certified organic juice bar franchise in the U.S., honored its Franchise Partners and shared a strategic path forward during its annual conference known as Juice Jam. The event was broadcast live from Elevation Church in Cornelius, North Carolina. Despite the global pandemic, Clean Juice used the live streaming event to recognize and honor its Franchise Partner award recipients in a number of categories and provided $13,000 in scholarships for eight of its top-ranked “Juiceristas” to continue their advanced education journeys.
Founders Landon and Kat Eckles kicked-off the Juice Jam event by welcoming all Franchise Partners and team members by sharing its record-setting performances in 2019 and the first part of 2020 with same-store sales exceeding 15 percent. Juice Jam celebrated the opening of its 33 new restaurant locations in 2019, 18 new franchise ownership groups, $33,000,000 in systemwide sales, and more than 2,200,000 guests served. Clean Juice was recognized as the fastest-growing company in Charlotte and earned a spot in Entrepreneur Magazine’s Top 200 food-based franchises.
“The Clean Juice brand has so much to be thankful for as we continue to experience explosive growth and success,” said Landon Eckles, CEO, Clean Juice. “Of our many successes, the most important number to the Clean Juice family is 2.2 million, which is the number of guests we’ve welcomed in our stores across the nation. Offering our guests clean, organic food and beverage offerings as they strive towards being ‘Healthy in Body, Strong in Spirit’ is our main purpose and it continues to drive our company philosophy.”
Several other executive team members provided presentations in their respective disciplines, including recently announced Chief Operating Officer Amanda Hall, who unveiled a new mobile Learning Management System, among other initiatives. She also announced a heightened focus on creating a “culture of recognition,” which was followed up with the Scholarships presentation and Franchise Partner awards.
The “Operator of the Year” award went to Jill Smith from Concord Mills, North Carolina; “The Rookie of the Year “award went to Michelle Constantino from Naperville, IL; the “Emerging Leader/One to Watch” award went to Jasmine Parker from Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; and the “Dylan Hopp Strong in Spirit” award, named in memoriam to a former employee and given to the Franchise Partner who best exemplifies the culture and core values of Clean Juice, was given to Diana Fraser, owner of the Clean Juice Vintage Park store in Houston, Texas.
Additional 2019 Award Recipients:
- Highest Store Sales: Beth & Kevin Ellis, Greensboro, NC
- Highest Average Ticket Price: Angela Moran & Sarah Peter, Lincoln, NE
- Best New Store Launch: Morgan & Deb Manchester, Collegeville, PA
- Comeback Operator of the Year: Laura Davis, Rea Farms, NC
- Best Net Promoter Score: Stephen Schrock & Cile Wilson, Atlanta GA
- Developer of the Year: Gerard Mack, Lake Charles, LA
- Home Store Manager of the Year: Nikki Missus, Huntersville, NC
$500 scholarships were awarded to the following Juiceristas:
- Matthew Larson: San Jose, CA
- Christine Cleveland: Atlanta, GA
- Rachel Slee: Chapel Hill, NC
- Ian Ibarra: Arden, NC
- Grace Toomey: Lincoln, NE
- Zoe Chatman: Lafayette, LA
The $5,000 Grand Prize Scholarships, donated by Clean Juice and its new technology partner in Lunchbox from New York City was awarded to the following Juiceristas:
- Drake Dais: Durham, NC
- Allison Fenske: Fishers, IN
The momentum continues for Clean Juice in the first part of 2020, despite the global pandemic. Earlier this year, Clean Juice opened its 100th store, announced 9 new locations, and was recently named among the 1000 fastest-growing privately held companies as part of the annual Inc. 5000 list, growing 485 percent over a three-year period. These achievements demonstrate Clean Juice’s trajectory that parallels growth trends in the organic food market.
For more information about joining the Clean Juice franchise family, please visit www.CleanJuiceFranchising.com.
Landon and Kat Eckles started Clean Juice in 2016 as the first and only USDA-certified organic juice bar franchise and is rooted in the “healthy body and a strong spirit” (3 John 1-2) scripture and highlights the importance of an organic, plant-based diet. Clean Juice offers organic cold-pressed juices, smoothies, wraps, açaí bowls, toasts, Greenoa bowls, and other healthy foods in a warm and welcoming retail experience. Clean Juice continues to seek and welcome qualified franchisees to its family of franchise partners. For more information about Clean Juice, its leadership team, and its core values, please visit www.cleanjuice.com.
