Today we’d like to introduce you to Devi Maharaj.
Hi Devi, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
Healthy Living is something that I am passionate about, it was always promoted by my parents throughout childhood. I’m from a West Indian-South American-Indian Diaspora home and my mother’s food was from scratch and made fresh daily with natural ingredients. I grew up having direct access to fresh fruit and vegetables. My great-grandmother was a subsistence farmer in Trinidad and we always had fruit trees and vegetable gardens growing up, even after my family immigrated to America. I founded devi Juice to share my knowledge of living a healthy lifestyle with family, friends, or anyone looking to eat healthier.
The dream of opening the juice-wellness shop began in 2012 when I was competing in a fitness competition. I continued my juicing journey throughout the training. My body felt amazing, reset and refueled. Nutritionally, it increased the variety of vitamins and minerals in my diet. My energy increased, my digestion improved, and I wasn’t getting sick as easily. After the competition, I incorporated juices and cleanses into my regular nutrition plan.
I made samples of my juices and shared them with my friends and family. The first juice I started experimenting with was a green juice. I know I wanted something simple, easy to make in the morning (5 ingredients or less), and had my favorite fruits and vegetables (but did not compromise any nutritional value). After finding the right apple to kale ratio, Green Goddess was born (note: ‘Devi’ is Sanskrit for ‘goddess’). After the positive responses from the “taste testers,” I invested in a professional juicer (devi Juice uses an NSF Certified commercial cold-pressed juicer) and started pursuing the juice shop seriously.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
My father passed away after a sudden illness in 2016. It was devastating. He was so encouraging, we shared an entrepreneurial spirit, and his loss impacted me deeply. After navigating the roughest parts of mourning, I spent most of 2019 testing juice recipes, researching ingredients, and developing my business model to launch devi Juice in 2020. Small business owners expect to encounter obstacles, we always have to be flexible, creative, and efficient to work through them. That being said, I don’t think there is a small business owner anywhere who expected a global pandemic, or that it would last so long.
As a new business word of mouth, in-person events, and networking are vital to the growth and development of our customers and brand. We lost ‘face time’ and relationship development that small businesses rely on because of COVID-19, but we benefited from the fact that we launched as an order and delivery service. It was not hard to pivot once everything became virtual.
One thing that devi Juice benefitted from is the increased awareness and attention to health and well-being. devi Juice offers tonics, immunity boosts packs and cleanses that contribute tremendous benefits to our bodies. Regular juicing increases hydration, energy as well as strengthens immunity, brainpower, bones, and organs. Increasing your intake of fresh fruits and vegetables alleviates stress, inflammation, toxins (such as mucus), and leads to better sleep. I have worked on combinations of organic fruits, superfoods, vegetables, and nuts to enhance the natural benefits of them. For example, devi Juice combines beets (rich in folate) and ginger (rich in gingerol) to make the Heart Beet. The anti-oxidants in beets and ginger are anti-inflammatory, reduce blood pressure, and affect cell repair.
It has been a challenging two years; we are trying to work through the recovery. The customer base devi Juice has developed so far is loyal and I am so appreciative of them and how they spread the word.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
devi Juice is a small business based in the Dallas/Fort Worth Area. Our purpose is to connect and contribute to the health and well-being of the people we meet by providing healthy, healing, and nourishing food choices. Because consuming high-nutrient foods leads to better quality of life, we use premium ingredients – organic fruits, nuts, herbs, and vegetables to produce high quality, raw, Non-High Pressure Processed (HPP), cold-pressed, unpasteurized juices.
I incorporate flavors and spices from my Caribbean, South American, and Indian heritages such as sorrel, sea moss, tulsi (holy basil), jeera (cumin), turmeric, and ginger in our handcrafted juices, tonics, and cleanses. devi Juice is mindful of the environment, reducing our impact by donating our juice pulp to composting centers and sourcing local seasonal produce.
When developing new/seasonal juices, my inspiration stems from my culture and the world around me. The first step of the process usually starts from a flavor I’ve tasted or a plant that I’m interested in. As soon as I decide the base (savory or sweet), I research the benefits of the fruits and vegetables to determine which nutrient or flavor will be featured. The second step is a trial-and-error period – playing with measurements until I find the taste that I’m looking for. Finally, I get feedback from the recipe testers on the taste and the juice name (to pun or not to pun, that is the question) prior to adding to our menu.
All juices are made and bottled once ordered and are delivered within 24-48 hours. We also offer customized juices (for a fee) and work with clients who may have dietary restrictions. devi Juice currently serves the greater DFW area and can be found on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter @thedeviJuice and www.thedevijuice.com to see the menu and place orders. Enjoy Life, Sip Slow.
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: www.thedevijuice.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thedevijuice/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thedevijuice/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/thedevijuice
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/devi-juice-irving
Image Credits:
Puja Maharaj
Devi Maharaj
