Smoothie Operator: Independent Blender Bringing Healthy Food To The Streets

NEW ORLEANS — Good food stuff and songs are staples of New Orleans, Louisiana.

Regrettably, that food commonly will come in the form of seafood, gumbo, jambalaya, king cake and beignets — merchandise that make your taste buds delighted and your waistline grow.

However, 5th Ward native Domonique “Dinero” Meyers offers a mouth watering alternative to the city’s renowned, but at times greasy fare. His Ascent Blends model of organic and natural smoothies had a modest start on the sidewalks of New Orleans, just a blender and natural and organic fruits.

His attempts at healthier residing did not go unnoticed — he recently secured a distribution deal with Rouses Marketplaces that will quickly see his smoothies and ginger shots on its shop shelves. (Rouses begun in Houma, Louisiana, far more than 40 a long time in the past and is one particular of the premier unbiased grocers in the U.S.)

Meyers — who prefers to go by Dinero — understands that overall health is wealth and hopes his Ascent Blends will generate a healthier town. He not long ago talked with Zenger News about the accomplishment of his firm, how the Rouses offer came to fruition and considerably much more.

Percy Crawford interviewed Domonique “Dinero” Meyers for Zenger Information.

Zenger: Tell us about the title of your corporation and the mission driving it. 

Dinero: It’s Ascent Blends anything is handcrafted, built fresh new every day. We’re your jump-get started to getting more healthy. We are community-driven, and we care about your health.

Zenger: From what I understand, you were earning smoothies in the hood and that turned into a little something significant. How did it get started?

Dinero: Being conscious of my diet plan about the yrs, I commenced this company in July 2016. So, 5 a long time back, I was riding on a pink scooter in my neighborhood, the 5th Ward. And I see a making that employed to fix motorbikes and scooters for lease. I said: “This could be a smoothie enterprise right listed here.”

I achieved out, talked to the operator and the quantities were being very good. But I genuinely wasn’t completely ready to start a business there. I experienced hardly ever even produced a smoothie to promote. The strategy just variety of sparked. I worked at a nonprofit, so I asked a number of persons there what I must do. They reported: “Well, if you can not get the making, just get began by location up a stand at the barbershop in the community.” And which is what I did.

They also told me to get top quality components. I preferred to make sure my smoothies are healthier. I wound up working with non-dairy agave, which is far better than sugar.

I commenced promoting smoothies at the barbershop. They were being an prompt hit. I was out there 24/7, all above the city. I would have the complete sidewalk lined up with people wanting smoothies, which weren’t offered any where else. We didn’t have any nutritious choices there — the 5th Ward is crammed with liquor retailers and fried meals.

I was operating out each and every working day on the sidewalk, persons ended up signing up for in with me, and I also started operating and carrying out 5K operates. We are surely about overall health instruction and informing all of our consumers, leaving them with literature and inspiration on shifting their way of living. It is much a lot more than just a smoothie.

Zenger: Was it hard to get these wholesome smoothies to get off in a town not recognized for having balanced eating choices? 

Dinero: it was a little bit challenging, but it was not tough. About a few or 4 many years back, points ended up shifting in the town. You started out observing some healthier selections arrive about. I think that I experienced a great deal to do with folks being able to have access to that type of product. It allows that my smoothies definitely style very good. I’ve experienced people wanting at my inexperienced smoothie like:“Man, that factor possibly preferences awful.” Retain in head, I’m dealing with the hood, so it was straight like that. It was: “Ugh, I don’t want that inexperienced just one, give me the pink one particular.” But then they would style the eco-friendly a person and locate out it’s amazing.

I basically shook the tradition from knowing that appears to be like can be deceiving when it will come to items like a healthy smoothie. You have to give factors a consider.

Zenger: How did the deal with Rouses come about? 

Dinero: Just one of my homies experienced a meeting with Rouses about figuring out how to do some thing collectively. He introduced in a few persons who had firms already, from the farmers to people who cooked to solutions. He claimed he required to do a seller industry just about every week or one thing like that at Rouses. So, I took the conference. I’m community-centered, and there were being a good deal of items at stake, as far as them righting their wrongs. So, if they were prepared to do the undoing, I’m with it.

That was my complete pitch in the meeting. This is not just about me. It is about developing prospects for jobs. It was a conclusion I had to make for myself and some others. We are about four or five months in now, and every single Saturday, we do the current market at Rouses on Tchoupitoulas. And very shortly, they will have my refreshing-pressed juices and ginger shots on the shelf in their CBD [Central Business District] site.

(Edited by Matthew B. Hall and Fern Siegel)