How NC juice company went from ‘slow and scary’ to rapid growth and endorsed by Tebow

A fast-growing juice bar franchise traces its origins to a woman experimenting with her blender.

The Charlotte-area company, Clean Juice, hasn’t let the coronavirus pandemic break it’s stride, and even recently gaining pro athlete Tim Tebow as a celebrity spokesman.

Commercials with Tebow began airing Aug. 10, giving Clean Juice its first-ever national TV spot.

The first and only national USDA-certified organic juice bar started six years ago by husband and wife Landon and Kat Eckles in Huntersville. There now are more than 100 Clean Juice franchise locations in the U.S., with thousands of employees. The Eckles plan to open 70 more stores nationwide in the next several years.

When the pandemic hit in March 2020, Clean Juice stores were already set up for grab-and-go but pivoted, adding third-party delivery and curbside pickup. “The first three months were slow and scary,” Kat Eckles said.

Despite the pandemic, the Eckles continued their path to expand Clean Juice.

Last month, Clean Juice’s flagship location at Birkdale Village in Huntersville moved across the street to a bigger store in Birkdale Landing with a digital menu board, updated interior design and a window where customers can see the cold juices being pressed.

The new location has more parking, a bigger kitchen and better roadside visibility, the Eckles said.

Also this year, the Eckles added a sandwich line to the menu. Last year, they started Be Organic wellness podcast and acquired another company — a nontoxic nail salon.

The Eckles have done all of this during the pandemic while also juggling a home life with five children ages 4 to 14.

“God has exceeded our expectations,” Kat Eckles said. “It’s been crazy but it’s been really fun.”

Clean Juice’s roots

Their children inspired the business concept.

Kat Eckles realized she needed to be healthy and eat more organic fruits and vegetables and make sure her children did, too. As a stay-at-home mom 10 years ago, she started learning more about organic foods and eating more vegetables.

“And I didn’t like them,” Kat Eckles said.

So she started making smoothies and juices. “I realized I could put as much green stuff as I wanted to into a blender and put a banana in with it and it tasted good.”

With Landon ready to make a career change out of commercial real estate, Kat Eckles pitched to her husband to start their own juice bar. The Eckles were living outside of New York City, where there was a juice bar seemingly on every corner, she said.

Kat Eckles knew she’d need to create tasty healthy organic vegetable juices. Before the days of Clean Juice’s team helping make the creations, it was just Kat and a blender.

“The original was just me in my kitchen with my vitamin blender and 14 neighborhood kids,” Kat Eckles said. “I knew if they liked it, anyone would.”

In their late 20s and expecting their fourth child, the Eckles moved to Charlotte to open Clean Juice six years ago. The Eckles had been to Charlotte before their move to visit other family members.

“We just loved the environment down here. We’re strong Christians and there are many churches that we liked to visit, and we love Lake Norman especially,” said Kat Eckles.

Clean Juice growth

The first Clean Juice store opened in Huntersville in June 2015 with 250 customers, the Eckles said. Two more stores followed — one in Stonecrest in south Charlotte and another in Wilmington. A year after opening, the Eckles decided to franchise Clean Juice.

“We knew that if we could open a store in that market that did well, it could be well-received across the country,” Kat Eckles said of opening in suburban Charlotte.

The first franchise store opened in April 2017 in Tampa, Florida. There are now more than 13,000 transactions a day at 110 stores throughout the U.S., Landon Eckles said.

The Eckles have another 70 Clean Juice stores under development nationwide in the next two to three years. There are currently no expansion plans in the Charlotte region, where there are 13 stores.

“We had a great organic success with it, pun intended,” Landon said. He said the investment for each franchise is about $300,000 per store. The average monthly revenue for each store is about $60,000, he said.

Clean Juice has about 300 employees at its home office and 13 corporate stores, and thousands of workers companywide, Landon Eckles said.

“We haven’t been afraid to bring in staff and hire ahead of our growth because we knew it was coming,” he said.

Adding to the menu

Clean Juice started with juices, smoothies and acai bowls.

Every year since, they’ve added to the menu first with a toast line, then salads, then wraps and this year, organic sandwiches have been in a pilot program for a couple months in Charlotte stores. It will roll out nationally in September, Landon Eckles said.

“For a while we were a great refreshing treat or juice mid-day but now we can really serve people three meals a day,” Kat Eckles said.

Smoothies still make up the biggest percentage of sales companywide, and the avocado toast is most popular with app users, the Eckles said.

“It’s funny, Landon created one smoothie, called the Recovery One, and it’s our best selling smoothie and the only one I didn’t create,” Kat Eckles said of the strawberry and banana mix. “He likes to brag about it.”

Tebow time

Something else the Eckles can boast about is landing 33-year-old Tebow — a Heisman Trophy winner, former baseball player, NFL Jacksonville Jaguars tight end and philanthropist — as a spokesman for Clean Juice.

“We really hope that it helps takes us to the next level as a national brand,” Kat Eckles said.

The relationship sprouted after Tebow became a frequent customer at the Clean Juice store in Nocatee, Florida.

“He really embodies what we believe in, and is authentic about doing what is best for his body and to be the best person he can be,” she said.

The partnership also will blend Clean Juice and Tebow’s philanthropic endeavors. Clean Juice’s Quarters for Kids launched last year during the pandemic to support health and nutrition projects for underserved children.

That foundation will now team up with the Tim Tebow Foundation, which operates ministries to serve people with special needs, help homeless and abandoned children, provide physical and spiritual care to children with medical needs and fights human trafficking.

Not stopping with Clean Juice

And the Eckles aren’t stopping there.

Last fall, they acquired Free Coat Nails, a nontoxic nail salon with stores in Nashville and Charleston. It fits the Eckles “healthy in body and strong in spirit” motto, Kat said.

The couple opened the flagship Free Coat Nails store in Myers Park, and have two franchise stores planned — in Cornelius and Concord.

“That’s kind of our next big thing,” Kat Eckles said.

Landon admits: “We have our hands full.”

This story was originally published August 13, 2021 at 12:55 PM.