Mark Smith
juice basin is New Jersey’s oldest and only USDA Organic certified artisan craft juice company. We employ locals in urban communities providing employment and mentoring staff to further their ambitions and dreams.
We believe saving planet, it’s inhabitants and labor by choosing USDA organic is a worthy mission of positive energy. Since positive energy guides every supplier choice and product created we are vegan, non dairy, artisan craft makers of the best bottled juice and raw foods in the nation if not the world.
Tell us about yourself?
I am a business professional which worked in fashion and choose not to pursue cheap goods through labor’s disadvantage of wages. I am a university director who was wooed away by faculty to manage the Top of World Trade Center renovation in the 90’s. I am a survivor who took a year to manage survivor’s guilt since I was not on the top of WT instead I was sipping coffee on a park bench with my husband (also a survivor) celebrating parenthood after placing our children on the school bus.
I am an entrepreneur as I have worked with many start ups in the capacity of director of business development. One day I realized, I will never satisfy CEO’s, so I started my own business 15 years ago in desolate Asbury Park, NJ. My initial venture was called yoga basin, basin bar, yoga festival by the sea which warped into juice basin.
If you could go back in time a year or two, what piece of advice would you give yourself?
Implement better automation services in the production line of our final product.
For too long we felt automation was not attainable and would not provide the revenue necessary to off set the costs; however, after 10 years we are starting and it has served us well since COVID prevented many of our legacy employees from coming back to work since they are mothers of children.
Automation also eliminates repetitive task injury which we believe makes our team more encouraged to continue the hard work they employ in our business.
What problem does your business solve?
Employment, housing, sustainability and healthy products which positively affect one’s wellness. We inspire our employees at time of initial interview to share what dreams they have and if juice basin is the proper match to help them realize their dreams.
Case in point, Heaven is an artist, we hosted an art show this December for her, she received front page coverage in the local paper, the clients purchased her art now we have reached out to a non profit which is guiding her to in residence art school which juice basin will mentor her on portfolio and application.
We want our youth out into the world not stuck behind a counter. We purchased a small home years ago for employee residence should the Asbury Park community become realized by developers. It has.
Now employees have a place to live without the burden over paying a landlord for a room without kitchen privileges. We were inspired by The Guinness Partnership, one of the largest providers of affordable housing in England for its workers.
What is the inspiration behind your business?
To give back while creating a community based in positive dialog that either inspires or educates those who are daring to learn or troubled enough to change eating habits.
Too many folks from the West side of the tracks (we are literally located at the corner of the tracks) do not have access to good food.
So upon an initial interviewing process, team members are trained to be welcoming and suggest possible tasty products with budgetary constraints so that the consumer does not feel pressured or overwhelmed. We prefer the client depart with empowered knowledge to charge of their kitchen and create positive food.
What is your magic sauce?
We are honest. If we add water to any of our 16 ounce bottled products they are labelled under the RO H20 bottle line.
An example would be when the consumer is purchasing a pink bottle of Habib (beloved) they know it is not 100% watermelon juice.
We provide 16 ounce containers not 12 like so many competitors because should a client choose a juice cleanse they need the nutrients and calories to stay the course of the regimen. We compost all of our raw produce to local farms serving nature and its community gardens.
What is the plan for the next 5 years? What do you want to achieve?
I will retire. I will spend more time in my garden; however I will be a guerrilla gardener planting trees and milk weed in unsuspecting areas to provide nature and local habitants with wind and sun protection while supporting the EDF campaign to save the butterflies.
I also see myself taking cold dips into the ocean daily, since I live 4 blocks from the beach and hope to maintain my meditation within nature to keep arthritis and muscle structure in tack.
What is the biggest challenge you’ve faced so far?
Closing my initial storefront yoga basin since we were ahead of our time by six years. We could no longer sustain the yoga and juice cafe while promoting our annual festival for charity. All were successful in their own way.
The festival continues today led by a worthy yogi called the Global Mala Jersey Shore. However, we had to move out of the downtown location due to rents. We choose a new location neither east nor west off Main street so we could provide product and services to both the wealthy and the disadvantaged. We now refer to this location as the heart of Asbury Park. All are welcomed.
How do people get involved/buy into your vision?
“it is our duty as achievers of a higher realm, while maintaining a calm and deliberate internal peace, to tenderly stoke flames of awareness, not to force others to our beliefs, but rather to weave a web of curious love, in which all men desire to be enveloped. “ Reggie Only those willing to pay labor a fair wage, compost fees and USDA organic produce need reply.
