Today we’d like to introduce you to Shraddha Pokle.
Shraddha, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
Originally from Mumbai, I now live in Plano with my husband, two teenagers and a pet. Being the eldest of the children, I took on many responsibilities early on in my life. I got married to the love of my life at 25, and then within a couple of years, we moved to US. I worked at a wholesale diamond business for many years and then managed an Indian restaurant for a couple of years. In Nov 2019, I opened my own franchise, Kwench Juice Café in Frisco – the first franchise in Texas.
I always wanted to have my own business, something which I can manage solo or with a team. I am also a vegetarian and believe in plant-based food, a diet full of natural, fresh, and healthy products. I feel our mind and body remain healthy and happy if we eat fresh food sourced locally. Initially, I thought of opening Jamba Juice franchise but later, my search zeroed down to Kwench Juice Café, and I took the plunge to start the first one in Texas.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
No, not all. We started Kwench in November 2019, and so we had a plan in place to cope with the slow holiday season (Dec), and winter. We were confident that spring-summer would make up for it. The timing of the COVID pandemic threw us off-guard. Now, we keep our store open for reduced hours and are trying to look for options to contain the losses until things get better. Covid-19 has really hurt every brick and mortar business. Also, for new businesses, government fundings is not available. That means their survival chances are very less. In the next few months, the economy could go from bad to worse and further impact all small businesses. Recovery will take a long time.
Kwench Juice Cafe – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
At Kwench, we serve Juices, Smoothies, Yogurt smoothies, Acai/Pitaya bowls, Turmeric or Wheatgrass Shots, Power Juices, Juice Cleanse, different variety of add-ons superfoods, chia puddings, Energy bites, Avocado Toast, Wraps, Veg. Burgers. etc. We are committed to making the best raw juices & fresh fruit (never frozen) smoothies and we strive to find the best possible ingredients. We shop locally for fresh and organic ingredients to ensure you won’t find a fresher juice or smoothie anywhere else. Not only do we choose ingredients that taste great, but we choose our ingredients with your health in mind to ensure that each drink gives your body the boost it needs. We refuse to compromise on quality at our juice bar. We never add sugars or any preservatives to our products! Our customer service is always top-notch, Our google, yelp, Facebook reviews can reflect all of this… We work with each and every customer and give people total flexibility according to their convenience to pick up their orders. We have about four delivery partners.
What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
Proudest moment so far would to be able to open up my own business and to be able to educate and offer people some healthy options versus other fast foods. I had always wanted to do something to benefit the mental and physical well-being of another, and this initiative has soothed my heart in more ways than I can imagine.
I am incredibly happy that we were able to give back to the community in a small way. We did couple of fundraisers for our front line workers. We have served so many hospitals. We were able to treat with our smoothies to around 100 teachers on Teachers Appreciation week. The last fundraiser we did was for our local post office staff. Kwench is also involved with the North Texas Volunteer group.
Pricing:
- $7 (16 oz) & $9 (24 oz) Juices/Smoothies
- $10 Acai or Pitaya Bowls
- $45 Juice Cleanse (5 Juice & 1 Smoothie)
- Shots $3 or $5
Contact Info:
- Address: 6750 Gaylord Parkway, #136
Frisco, Texas 75034 - Website: www.kwenchjuicefrisco.com
- Phone: 469-2005777
- Email: kwenchjuicefrisco@gmail.com
- Instagram: kwenchjuicefrisco
- Facebook: kwenchjuicefrisco
- Twitter: kwenchfrisco
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/kwench-juice-cafe-frisco
- Other: https://orderfood.google.com/chooseprovider?restaurantId=/g/11fn8wq58f&fo_m=CHQIdQg6CDkIFwihAQh2CHcIWQhqCB8IMQh4CCEIMAh5CHoILwh7CDsIYwggCDgIfAh9CH4IfwiRAQhYCCoIoAEIVwgrCCgIGAgnCCkIDwgTCAsILAgMCBEICggtCBQIEgguCAgIEAhACEgIXAgeCEcIJggHCAMIAgiSAQiaAQgyCI4BCIgBCFIIlQEInAEInQEIZgg8CGAINwhWCFMImAEIRAiZAQiCAQiMAQiFAQieAQhPCIYBCCMIigEIZwifAQibAQhiCJcBCIkBCJMB&gei=F6s4X9bJPOS1tgXQk7SYAg&hl=en-US&fo_s=OA,AH&orderType=2&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiWsbuF557rAhXkmq0KHdAJDSMQjYwDKAAwEHoECC0QAQ&sei=CQ5yboKN3CO9ESQhnQ_28wum&utm_campaign&utm_source=search
Image Credit:
Shraddha Pokle
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