Top Picks

Although they're not exactly a new trend, juice bars continue to pack a hefty punch in the beverage world. Indeed, what began as sort of a pick-me-up drink for exercise enthusiasts has evolved into a mainstream favorite. It is, attest juice-bar entrepreneurs, a drink that suits the taste buds of young and old alike.

"The product doesn't have any one specific demographic," says Jim Millican, 36, co-founder with brother Robert, 29, of Chapel Hill, North Carolina-based Smoothieville Inc. "It runs the gamut."

Launched last year, Smoothieville blends blueberry-colored countertops and raspberry-colored stools with a menu of smoothies featuring ingredients as diverse as strawberries and peanut butter. Says Jim, "It's kind of a '90s version of the malt shop."

And yet, it's also kind of not. The frothy concoctions that today's juice-bar operators serve up aren't intended as dessert items-though some consumers treat them as such. Rather, these whipped-up juices are touted as meals in and of themselves. "We like people to think of [smoothies] as a meal," says Jim, "and as a healthy alternative to fast food."

Smoothies are selling so well that one recent estimate puts the industry into the $300 million sales category by the year 2000. Smoothieville itself, according to its owners, conservatively expects to enjoy a 25 percent increase in sales next year and should have three locations up and running by the time you read this.

The options, it seems, are endless. "You can become more of a full-service restaurant and serve wraps and other healthy sandwiches and soups [in addition to smoothies]," says Jim, "or you can get more involved with vitamins and supplements and stick with smoothies."

Ladies and gentlemen, start your blenders.

This article was originally published in the December 1997 print edition of Entrepreneur with the headline: Top Picks.