Beecause Closure: Hello, Instagram; Goodbye E-Newsie and Jen Chase.

April 2, 2018 By Jen Chase

Jen Chase here…TJS’s content director. And it’s with a pinch of sadness, a cup of half-hearted cheer and a 16-ounce TJS Singleton of cold-pressed positivity that I write you for the last time as the voice of this very special company.

After 5 years of working with Jamie Stephenson Goguen and Marcella Williams —penning and editing original words for everything from TJS’s tagline and standards to website content, Facebook posts, op-eds, invites, bios, signs, menu descriptions, e-newsie articles, and print ads that have helped create a company persona as compelling as the Queen Bees’ drive to WHealth™-up Vegas one juice at a time—TJS is tweaking how it communicates with you, its dear bees. And moving forward, the bulk of its energies will be poured (heh) into growing the TJS Instagram account, where TJS can showcase the beauty of its daily cold-pressing labor and all the glorious bees within its hive.

As companies grow (four stores in as many years!), so grows clarity about which efforts offer the best ROI (for our purposes here, our bees’ “return of interest”). And since this company intersects Vegas’s wellness and dining industries—industries that at times shine brightest when more lenses and fewer words tell a product’s story—TJS is dimming the lights in one deli case so it can turn ‘em up in another in hopes that you’ll get even more from the brand.

Moving forward, TJS invites you to bee a part of its thousands-strong hive of Insta followers—and if Facebook is your social flavor of choice (even though it’s hella harder these days for businesses to find their way into your feed)—you can absolutely still find TJS there, too…but the blog The Humble Bee and its sister e-newsie, “From The Humble Bee,” will no longer, well: bee. It’s Jamie’s and Marcella’s hope to pour their efforts into other juicy avenues as they improve upon the brand you’ve come to crave (and sorry not sorry I just can’t help myself from penning those ~~pour~~ poor puns).

As for me, I’ve deeply loved writing you through this company’s wholehearted platform. From funny to food-for-thought features, TJS gave me the freedom to tackle topics that made me proud to associate them with this brand….

• In Polyjuicery: Bee In Love With More Than One , I used the punny veil (okay I’m done now) of how harrrrrd it is to pick a fave TJS juice as a way to discuss polyamory and society’s shifting perspectives on love and marriage.

Polyjuicery: Bee In Love With More Than One (juice…or, person).

• The following year, I got to work with TJS COO and Co-Founder Marcella Williams on an inspirational editorial where she shared her personal account of what it was like to mindfully bring together different corners of the same family—hers— in, On Blended Families: They Take A Hive.

Marcella and her family, Christmas 2016. (l-r) Marcella; Sophia (9); Damian—on top (8); Maximus—on the bottom (8); and Drew (17).

• And last summer, Marcella’s words were the basis for my own navigation into the waters of a new family of my own with this man, which I wrote about in Coupling with Kids the Second Time Around.

Marcella’s words continue to guide me as I create a life with someone who chose me to partner into his second-time-around fam.

From helping parents get kiddos to drink green juice by giving it a funny name, to rounding up spend-worthy favorites in articles like this guide to fly honey products, to shining TJS’s star in my first feature for Mastercard™, to interviews with TJS honey supplier—local company Annsley Northwest Naturals and its owner, Dee Drenta—I’ve used my two decades in journalism and my Master’s degree-smarts for TJS good, not evil. (My last feature about TJS’s involvement with Sofar Sounds was pretty fun to write, too.)

Since I met Jamie and Marcella in 2013, my personal passions have often mirrored TJS’s standards: eat for health more than not; bee good to and for the environment we live in; and value time, energy and people…not things or circumstances. I’ll miss contributing to this brand, but I’ll treasure the joy of using my words and ethics to wholly support something I believed in: a company founded by two women who are leaving their hometown WHealthier than they found it.

It’s been dreamy writing for you, dear bees. Thanks for the acceptance you’ve shown this brand’s beeautiful little voice, and for the respect and virtual high-fives you’ve given my creativity and effort. It will be remembered.

With gratitude and love, jen.

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TJS News: And Baby Makes (Store) Four

February 27, 2018 By Jen Chase

Opening our fourth location at TruFusion in Summerlin at the start of the year was a natch move in The Juice Standard’s evolution (#gymandjuice, anyone?), and in these short two months, the collaboration has already helped us spread the edges of our mission: to blanket the Valley with as much organic product as possible.

To our franchise-begging bees…we know it probs hurts your ears to know that Nevada’s where we remain…but for you locals? It means there’s yet one more place to enjoy your juice while getting your bod and mind as WHealthy™ as can bee. Especially since we provide the same, consistent product that’s available at our neighborhood stores and at our outpost at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas.

“It really has been beautiful to blend right into the community that Trufusion had already established,” says Amber Cariker, TJS’s district manager. “It’s evolved right into a homey, family-feeling sort of place with a bunch of happy, motivated people—all under one roof—being passionate together about their health.

We couldn’t agree more. And if you haven’t been there yet, Amber’s got the pics to prove how beeautiful the space really is. Come check us out.

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TJS Events: Sofar Sounded Sogood.

February 27, 2018 By Jen Chase

In late 2017 when The Juice Standard made our location in Henderson available to biz and community groups for meetings, workshops and the like, we didn’t think “the like” would mean “concert venue.” But last month it did, and it was rad; and on Feb. 9—spread out on the floor of the The Rose, with TJS sips and snacks floating by during set breaks, coordinated by TJS District Manager Amber Cariker and her team— it was thanks to two locals, some open-minded bees, a international music movement, and us (whee!) that TJS hosted an excitingly enigmatic event that was part of the Sofar Sounds movement.

Jacob Beck of the band Harpers, from Provo. (Photo Courtesy Sofar Sounds.)

Now, we could call a lot of things a “movement” and be way off the mark, but not when it comes to this group. Sofar Sounds (or just “Sofar”…which, thankfully, is how the group self-refers since it’s weirdly easier to say and type) is an immensely collaborative, nurturing and yet intense string of shows that unfold all over the globe—super-secret like—with a goal of introducing listeners to music they might not never hear otherwise…and, to introduce listeners to one another.

The process goes down like this:

Dates for shows are pre-announced on the Sofar website to pique interest.
Folks apply for free tix to a show they know nothing about but their feels tell them it’s a good idea.
The day before showtime, the concert’s location is announced and folks are emailed whether they’ve won the musical lottery, of sorts, to have the privilege of buying tix to hear three unknowns play a four-song set, in a space that could be someone’s palatial back yard or their palatial back hall.

Sofar concerts go up from London to Barcelona and countless places in between: more than 400 shows happen a day, and rumor has it New York hosts a concert a night. While Las Vegas is a relative newbie to the Sofar team, since November 2016, the Valley has been hosting more and more Sofar shows and has a promising future thanks to the women who help it run.

Elmer Abapo of Las Vegas. (Photo courtesy Sofar Sounds.)

“I think what Sofar does, in general, is promote a safe environment to be a participant of this global movement,” says Anna Karabachev, a Las Vegas attorney by day and fervent (volunteer!) supporter of music, of meeting people and of wholehearted, experiential living. “With the tiny connections and the pockets of people you meet, each time [you attend a Sofar] you’re trusting the process of getting to listen to this music.”

Karabachev and her co-Las Vegas coordinator Molly Higgins are responsible for the back-end machinations that help a Sofar fly. With only a handful of volunteers—fewer than 10 folks help set up the show at The Juice Standard—sound, lighting and staging comes together in venues that literally have ranged from someone’s field to someone’s living room…from the floors of antique stores to—yep: a cold-pressed juicery.

Karabachev is thoughtful as she shares what has to float her boat enough about a space to allow it to make the Sofar cut. “The reason I choose a venue…there’s just an understanding of a Sofar, and I think that’s very important.” Having met Amber Cariker at a decidedly un-Sofar event—they were building bee boxes with popsicle sticks at a sort of bee-MeetUp—Karabachev says Cariker deeply got the Sofar vibe and was equally able to transmit her positive energy for TJS and all our brand stands for: quality, WHealth™; education; connection; high standards; and service to all.

Then, all of a sudden, someone’s need for a space (Sofar’s) was satisfied by someone who had a space to lend (yours truly).

TJS District Manager Amber Cariker, in all her hands-on glory.

“The way [Amber] spoke about the business and the juice…it wasn’t just a business to her, it’s a lifestyle and a cause,” says Karabachev. “I didn’t even have to see the space. I just liked her, and I trusted her.”

Before that Friday night show, Sofar Soldout of tix and filled TJS to capacity to hear Elmer Abapo from Las Vegas; Dan Shaw and Eden Michelle from Johannesburg, South Africa (and who play in London); and the band Harpers from Provo, Utah. “It was a perfect location,” says Karabachev, noting that in addition to the stellar tunes wafting through the air, something else wowed guests that night.

“One difference that we hadn’t expected was the staff,” she says. “We don’t ask [hosts] to put themselves out. We don’t have food. But we took three breaks, and in between, there were TJS snacks and trays of juice. We’re talking every time I looked around, everyone had a different snack….

Dan Shaw and Eden Michelle. (Photo Courtesy Sofar Sounds.)

“It was a very special thing for TJS to do,” she continued, “and everyone cared very much about the production. Amber made a speech about the process of making juice, the bees….I think it felt exactly like a Sofar.”

In a turvy world that can feel more half empty than full if we’re not careful, the Sofar model breeds trust, connection and a belief that the unknown can be—and very likely will be—wonderful. With the credo, “Bee still and listen” (Fine: It’s “be.”), Sofar events curate an atmosphere that invokes pure music, pure respect for others and trust. Trust to invite strangers into your home; trust that, as a musician, your art will be received kindly; and trust in the kindness of others to work together for a group’s overall enjoyment.

(See? #ItReallyDoesTakeAHive.)

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Menu Update: New You? Noö Nectar.

December 5, 2017 By Jen Chase

“Nature meets neuroscience” is the party line from the noöest menu item The Juice Standard is offering for the way it’s designed to increase cognitive function, nudge neurological synapses and boost energy so we can bee the creative machines we were meant to be! (Or at the very least, to live-work-play-parent like the badasses we are with energy left to spare.)

Noö Nectar contains a combination of carefully curated brain enhancers—”nootropics“—to help the body operate optimally. Specifically, these four key neurotransmitters (plus a lot of other stuff):

Dopamine
Norepinephrine
Epinephrine
Acetylcholine

It’s important to note that a big component to the nectar’s mix includes a mass amount of vitamin Bs. If you’re noö to liquid Bs, be aware that high doses of ’em can lead to some pretty immediate skin flushing, tingling, itching, or nausea if they’re taken on an empty stomach. And while the Noö Nectar recommendation is to ingest on an empty tum-tum, you might need to fill your belly with food, first.

The potion is delivered via a 1.7-ounce bottle that’s meant to be split into two swigs a day (though some folks who are noö to noötropics may do better spreading a bottle across two days).

At TJS we’re selling this $5/shot (Remember: One shot can be a two-day dose if that better suits your system.)

Bees, if you glean nothing else from this little update, simply do this: Run from fakemeout vitamin and biohacking boosters and toward this noö treat at our stores.

(And for the record, this “noö” spelling stuff doesn’t get old. In fact it’s noö. Soooo very noö.) Wink.

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Menu Madness: Seasonal Specials (Plus Some Swoony Weeklies)

October 31, 2017 By Jen Chase

Thanks to viewers like you who keep our seasonal standbys returning, faves like our pumpkiny Harvest Spice Bee Invincible is a welcomed repeat, year after year. But the brainpower of our Executive Chef David Suppe has brought us something else new that’s helping us anticipate the weekend even more than usual.

The Juice Standard’s new Weekend Specials are one-off recipes available at our neighborhood stores (The Hive on Ft. Apache near Summerlin, and The Rose on St. Rose Parkway in Henderson). Designed to delight, these treats are Chef’s way of keeping our menu even fresher than it already is, by injecting some serendipity into our tried-and-true menu.

On weekends of recent past we’ve welcomed the Bee Thankful (velvety pumpkin and cashew nut milk served over ice and with the seasonal spices Chef knows you love); the Bee Churro Invincible (dates, honey, cinnamon, vanilla, espresso, MCT oil, coconut oil/ghee, love); and the Bee Fearless (as our clever Chef put it, “a frightfully delicious spicy-savory cilantro and lime juice”).

If they sound good and you want in, here’s the trick: Buy early and buy often, beecause once product runs out each weekend, that’s all, folks. So starting at 7 a.m., head over to see what the new weekend fuss is all about. And if you want to learn what’s on tap (er, in the press?), check out TJS’s Facebook page on Fridays where there’s bound to bee a mention of what’s to come that weekend.

#ItTakesAHiveToBeThisJive

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TJS News: Getting To Know Us

October 4, 2017 By Jen Chase

In the last few months we’ve had a lot of new faces join The Juice Standard’s managerial and leadership team. And with some 4,000 bees getting our monthly e-newsie and thousands more following TJS content on social, over the next few issues we’ll bee introducing you to the folks you see beehind our counters…in some cases, ones you may never lay eyes on but you’ll sure taste what they have to offer.

So for a little something old and something new, we’re shining on the people who make us proud to bee a company that loves its employbees as much as we love the products they diligently prepare, serve and sell.

David Suppe, Executive Chef

August 2017

David Suppe, The Juice Standard’s executive chef, started concocting juicy goodness for us back in August…but it cheffery his first love? Inquiring minds.

What’s your role at TJS? I oversee all back-of-house operations and

procedures.

What was it about TJS that made you want to work with us? I was drawn to TJS due to it being a smaller company, and creating a great product. for great reasons.

What’s the most rewarding part of your job? Knowing I am making a difference, and aiding in the advancement of this company.

What was your favorite fruit/veggie when you were the age you were in the photo you sent us? I was about 3 years old in that photo, and I loved corn and green grapes.

Today, what fruit/veggie is your kitchen never without? Potatoes and pineapple.

What’s your favorite TJS juice or nut milk? Hard to say as all of them have such unique characteristics and qualities. If I had to choose, I would have to say Bee Energized (this week at least).

(Truth be told…it is one of the new items being created but I can’t speak about that at this time!) #tease

What advice would you give to a juice-fasting newbie, based on the info you know about TJS, juicing, and the health benefits that come from flooding your bod with goodness? My advice would be to give it a 100-percent buy-in. It’s amazing to experience what benefits this product has to offer.

Stephanie Saccucci, Assistant Manager, Buzz (at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas)

August 2017

Stephanie, age 2, and her brother, who Stephanie says is still her bestie. (Awww!)

What’s your role at TJS? My role has been to inspire and motivate the team to uphold the high standards of the company, as well as to be alongside the staff and help them grow and develop the skills required to help them be their best at The Juice Standard.

What drew you to TJS? I was very excited to find TJS! I have always loved eating healthy but the piece I was missing was the vegu-cation. I am very excited to learn about the functions of the juices and the benefits to the body and to help pass that on to others.

What’s the most rewarding part of your job? It feels amazing to be a part of people’s “lightbulb” moments daily…where people can learn something they did not know before. Customers can learn something that can really change their health and life, and that’s amazing!

What was your favorite fruit/veggie when you were the age you were in the photo you sent us? Sweet potatoes!

Today, what fruit/veggie is your kitchen never without? Avocados!

What’s your favorite TJS juice or nut milk? Bee On point. SO good! I love how balanced it is for your nutrition and it tastes amazing. I also love the radish in the finish.

What advice would you give to a juice-fasting newbie, based on the info you know about TJS, juicing, and the health benefits that come from flooding your bod with goodness? I would suggest to start slow. I have detoxes before from things like caffeine or sugar, and the headaches are crazy! So I would say get your body ready by slowly cutting back on those things leading up to a juice fast.

Also, make sure to start the morning (especially in cooler months) with warm water with lemon! And then drink warm water or tea throughout the day to help curb appetite (lemon is great for that). Hydrating is important during a fast but I’d say warm water is also important.

Also, make sure to include green juices! If you can do a green fast, do it. There are such tremendous things found in green juices that are not in the others…like protein (there are 13 grams in Bee Resilient!). So go green if you can.

Ben Ream, Store Manager (St. Rose location)

October 2015

Ben Ream, the green bean. At age 6 he was already forecasting his love of all-things leafy (even if he was a picky kid!).

What’s your role at TJS? I have worn a few hats during my time with The Juice Standard. I started as a front-of-house bee and was then promoted to a supervisor (“Superbee”); and then, on to my current role of store manager. I am a working manager, meaning I spend the majority of my time behind the counter, side by side with my team…and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

What drew you to TJS? Health, nutrition and fitness have been my passions for over 10 years and I love to help people improve their lives in these areas. I worked in surgery for years before this and never got the satisfaction of helping people quite like I do here, mostly because I get to see the continual progress that our customers make toward reaching their health goals.

What’s the most rewarding part of your job? Hearing customers’ stories of life-changing benefits they’ve received from incorporating our products into their lives.

What was your favorite fruit/veggie when you were the age you were in the photo you sent us? As a child I was incredibly picky and didn’t like most veggies and only some fruits so I would have to say cherries.

Today, what fruit/veggie is your kitchen never without? Any kind of leafy greens.

What’s your favorite TJS juice or nut milk? It’s very hard to pick a favorite from our bounty of amazing juices, so I’ll pick two: Bee Resilient and Bee On Point, because of their ingredient profile and nutrient density.

What advice would you give to a juice-fasting newbie, based on the info you know about TJS, juicing, and the health benefits that come from flooding your bod with goodness? Go all in and commit to a three-day fast! Know the first day will be a struggle, but there’s light at the end of the tunnel and your body will love you for it.

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Ingredient Spotlight: MCT Oil=Superfood for a Super Summer

July 18, 2017 By Jen Chase

Hiya, Bees!

So, since we’ve still got another month left of Summer 2017, who doesn’t want a lil’ more energy for work and play? Right: No one…and precisely why we’re highlighting a superfood upgrade that is continuing The Juice Standard’s juicy journey toward #MissionNutrition (and #HellaFunDaysAndNights), by being a naturally occurring energy source that can be seamlessly—tastily!—added to any of our juices, smoothies, nut milks, and hot cacao and specialty espresso drinks.

(And even if the mere thought of a hot bevvie makes you sweat, for the days when your office AC is JACKed…you’ll thank us for this. You really will.)

For years, NOW has been a popular entry-level brand for folks dipping their toe in wellness waters.

MCT oil is clear and flavorless, and can be added to everything from beverages to salad dressings (seriously: sub out your olive or flax oil at home with one of the brands we mention at the end). MCT stands for “medium-chain triglycerides”—also referred to as “medium chain fatty acids”—and to fully appreciate TJS making MCT oil an available upgrade, we’re gonna vegucate you a little about different fatty acids and how they can benefit our health.

All Fats Are Not Equal

Fats are classified as one of three types depending on their chemical structure:

Short-chain (meaning the fat has a structure with five or fewer carbon atoms);
Medium-chain (the fat has six to 12 carbons); and
Long chain (it contains more than 12 carbons).

Now. When we’re talking MCTs, there are four types:

Caproic acid (abbreviated as “C6” which means it has six carbons);
Caprylic acid (C8);
Capric acid (C10); and
Lauric acid (C12).

Truth? All you need to know is that the fewer carbons in an MCT, the faster the carbons are absorbed by the body. We’ll explain why that’s important next.

So…Why Fatty Acids? And Will They Gimme Me A Fatty A(ss)cid?

(Cute.)

Well: It’s all about energy, Bees! When digested, fatty acids are used as energy…and what dictates how our bods break down fat is the fatty acid’s structure.

Most dietary fats that comprise standard American diet are long-chain triglycerides, and because of the many carbons in a long-chain triglyceride, our body has to do some hard w-e-r-k to digest it. But that’s where the awesomeness of MCT oil comes into play:

MCTs’ fewer carbons mean our body can break down the fatty acids fast…allowing them to passively diffuse from our GI tract to our bloodstream where our liver converts them to energy really quickly.

The Amazing Metabolization of MCTs (And Other Cool Bennies)

Bonus? Instead of metabolizing through digestion (like other fats), MCTs are taken straight to the liver where they act similarly to carbohydrates by providing instant and sustainable energy. But it’s not just the energy you get that’s interesting. MCTs improve blood sugar regulation (yay!), improve metabolism (especially fat metabolism), they may improve thyroid function, and they improve appetite regulation.

The most common whole-food source of MCTs is coconut oil: About 65 percent of its fatty acids are considered medium-chain. Palm kernel oil and full-fat dairy are two other food sources of medium-chain triglycerides. But nothing says energy-lovin’’ like a pure MCT oil, and that’s what TJS is bringing you.

Enjoying MCT Oil at TJS

Wanna feel the effects for yourself? Ever hear of the Bulletproof® coffee phenomenon? It’s a riff off an ages-old Tibetan drink called “yak butter tea” that uses yak butter the way Westerners use typical dairy in our coffee. (Tibetans have more yaks than cows so they turn yak milk into butter…butter that can be kept shelf stable for up to a year if wrapped properly.)

“Buttered coffee” became all the rage when a bee named Dave Asprey researched the tea he tried on a Tibetan trek. After understanding the energy it gives Tibetans living and working the land in high altitudes, he learned that yak butter tea is super high in—say it with us—MCTs. Once back in the United States, to mimic the Tibetan drink’s health bennies he combined a serving of freshly brewed coffee with a tablespoon of coconut oil (which you now know is high in MCTs and lauric acid and rootin’-tootin’ tasty). He also added a tablespoon of grass-fed butter or ghee (close cousin to that yak butter…and, very tasty) to create “buttered coffee.” When you blitz it all up in a high-speed blender, the coffee froths like a latte. And it’s just as creamy, without the dairy.

It’s true: From chocolatey cacao drinks to espressos (even all our icy sips), MCT oil can go into any of ’em.

There’s a lot of info on the Internets about how the oils combine with coffee’s caffeine to slowly release energy rather than in a typical surge or crash. TJS’s Bee Invincible is Marcella’s own riff off Bulletproof® Coffee, but for a super-simple recipe without sweeter or cashew cream, add a tablespoon of our MCT oil to your coffee and we’ll blitz it up for you. It’s also terrific in smoothies.

Seriously: Especially in coffee, you’ll be rewarded with an effect you WILL feel—and the feel will be like there’s rocket fuel in your system. And really, who doesn’t want that?

Curious? Try our MCT oil. We think you’ll be glad you did.

Insider Intel

Curious about MCT oil but aren’t sure where to begin? There’s a lot on the market. Here are a few to check out:

• This brand has been ’round for ages and the price point is usually friendly.

• This is Asprey’s “octane oil” that he sells for your cuppa. We’ve sampled it, and it’s as colorless and odorless as the rest.

• Whole Foods’ trusted 365 brand jumped into the market last year. It’s pretty much avail across the country, now.

Shout Out to TJS Manager Bean Ream for handily helping us compile this MCT goodness!

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TJS News: Our Year In Review

January 8, 2017 By Jen Chase

Haters gonna hate, Bees, but if you know The Juice Standard, you know that’s not our jam.

Peaks and valleys prevailed in 2016, for sure…but in these early new-year’s days of self reflection, we’re unabashedly proud of what we accomplished last year, and most of it had to do with your support.

How? Think about it: Like plants, puppies and our BFF’s endless obsesh with Wentworth, things grow when they’re fed. And as with those three awesome things, thanks to your passion and pride for TJS products made from 100 percent organic produce (and our team’s dedication to ensuring everything you sip and chew is as delish and delish can be), when you’ve wanted more, we’ve given more.

Simba. Mufasa. It’s the circle of life, Bees.

In the opening of one of the articles in December’s newsletter we hinted at our inception story. And because we can be suckers for those TV retrospectives that kick off a new year, here’s a glimpse of what went down the TJS way last year in hopes it’ll tantalize you to stick with us as we bloom and blossom in 2017.

January

In the first clip of the year, the Las Vegas Review Journal included TJS in its roundup of juiceries to celebrate Fresh Squeezed Juice Week (which this year falls on Jan. 23, so get ready). Also in January, we lifted the cone of silence on what had been worked on for months: the makings of a new TJS at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas. February was shaping up to be a stellar month….

February

Yep: February brought the opening of The Buzz—what we affectionately call our location at The Cosmopolitan. Seemed like a fantasy—bringing cold-pressed juice to the Strip that was pressed that very morning at 5 a.m.—and in short order we were totally welcomed by the morning crowd, pool crowd and Marquee crowd looking to imbibe a little differently.

In February we also got a little shout out from Al Mancini at Vegas Seven for something we hold near and dear: TJS’s shots and how amazeballs they are at fighting the cold and the flu. (I mean we know this stuff, but having it promoted by others is bomb.) And for something totally fun and different, our co-founder and CEO Jamie Stephenson was a guest on this rockin episode of the Downtown Podcast (which you can enjoy on YouTube).

Proud? The way she commanded that stage? You bet. Look at her.

March

March marked a few shifts for TJS, especially in the kind of info we decided we wanted to bring to you, our bees.

For starters, we used our newsletter space “From The Humble Bee” to explain our shift toward calling our juice cleanses juice fasts, instead. (Don’t remember? Read about it here.) And March marked our first time delving into what at the time seemed like a relatively quiet convo that was mostly taking place behind closed doors.

Bathroom doors.

In Poo and You, through great graphics and straight talk we edged toward making our gut-health—and the ever-present notion that what goes in must come out and it shouldn’t be embarrassing when it does—seem not so taboo.

TJS also got its first national press hit (thank you MasterCard™) when we were recognized as a notable juicery in the increasingly WHealthy™ city of Las Vegas (#ItTakesAHive) along with friend Shane Stuart, now the owner and founder of Panacea.

It was a good month.

April

April was big for one delicious reason: TJS started hyping the cold-pressed cocktails launched and served at The Buzz at The Cosmopolitan (and only at The Cosmopolitan). In the piece Less Is More, we announced that from April on, bees looking to marry taste and WHealth™ could do it with cocktails made from the most luscious mixers on the Strip: our made-fresh-daily juices and nut milks pressed from 100 percent organic produce.

May

May brought us a chance for members of the TJS Team—founders Marcella Williams and Jamie Stephenson; TJS’s Creative Director Mallory Dawn; and Content Director Jen Chase—to shine a light of mother-lovin’ love on the women who helped shape us in this, the first, first-person narrative feature in our newsletter. We used the feature We Are Motherlovers to also salute the Las Vegas mums who choose to make TJS a part of their parenting prowess.

June-July-August

Despite its rich pool life, summer in Las Vegas is the slowest of the seasons beecause it’s so damn hottt, so our focus was on maintaining calm, coolness and getting the hell outta dodge. The calm was introducing you all to maca, one of our fave adaptogens; Juicing Across The Map showed off where we like to go for juice when the going gets steamy in the city; and our Summertime Slimdown gave you the skinny on how to stay just that by chewing and sipping your way through our menu.

And beecause Vegas is nothing if not built on the ol’ “and-not-or” concept, to create a little party-esque buzz of our own, August brought us our first ever Customer Appreciation Night, where we served sips and bites and had Daniel Park play for all to enjoy.

September

Two words were the highlight of September: Robin Leach. (Okay, five: Robin Leach and Marcella Williams.)

Every summer, Mr. Leach travels to faraway lands leaving his column space in the Las Vegas Review-Journal open for hand-picked space fillers. Last year it was Jamie. This summer, Marcella revealed her touching come-to-juicing story by way of motherhood in this first-person narrative all about her.

We also got our first Thrillist hit thanks to prolific Vegas writer Rob Kachelriess, and we were thrilled that the beeautiful-in-and-out Ms. Andrea Bennett at Vegas magazine sought TJS fit to add to her list of ways to #DetoxBeforeRetox in Las Vegas. #Proud.

Even more pride-worthy was the massive overhaul to the TJS chewable menu which now features avo-breads, updated chia seed puddings and more plant-based sweet treats that help balance your desires for food that tastes good while it’s doing good.

It was a super-good summer.

October-November-December

Fall is one of the most amazing food-and-drink times in Las Vegas, beecause creative culinarians and mixologists like Marcella and her Bee Team have to balance our near-intrinsic humanoid bent toward fall’s root veggies, warm spices and pumpkin-all-the-time ‘tude no matter how temperate the weather stays.

This fall marked the return of last year’s Harvest Spice Bee Invincible; a host of delicious hot cacao drinks that blow the tops off conventional hot chocolate; and with the legalization of marijuana, we juice-u-cated you bees about the benefits of CBD oil…our most recent superfood upgrade that can now be added to juices, nut milks, cacaos, and espresso drinks, at both of our neighborhood stores.

The end of December brought other clips, too. Jamie and Marcella were invited to be interviewed for the venerable business e-newsie published by Crain’s where they shared an experience in small-business ownership (a BFD for women in a predominantly male-oriented pub). And Women’s Health magazine highlighted TJS as a great tool to have in your toolbox for staying fit in Las Vegas.

So, yes: It was an amazing year of firsts…new stores, new menu items, new courage to lean into the hard discussions, new partnerships, and new friends.

Honestly, sitting down with a calendar and reflecting like this, month by month, is something we all can do when we need a gut check about our accomplishments…and it doesn’t always have to be in January. Large companies do it all the time to evaluate, but a personal check-in—or one for a growing business like TJS—is sometimes exactly what you need for a little self-soothing gratitude, as well as for planning your company (or life’s) next steps.

One thing’s for certain: It would be zero fun to do all this without the support, feedback and juicy love all the bees that visit us at The Rose (St. Rose Parkway), The Hive (on Ft. Apache) and The Buzz (at The Cosmopolitan). We only exist beecause of you, and we’re thrilled to see what 2017 will bring.

TJS News: Bottle Returns…RIP

September 29, 2016 By Jen Chase

So if you haven’t heard yet or seen the video we posted on social media at the end of last month, we rolled out some important news: We discontinued our bottle return policy.

Wha?

It’s true. After 3 and a half years, the task of accepting back your bottles to sanitize and re-use them for the sake of the environment and MomsNature was in fact noble…but it also became indescribably water intensive. And since we do live in the desert where water preservation will probs always be an issue (just look what’s still happening to poor farmers in very non-deserty New England), we wanna do our part and help, not hinder the effort.

What does this switcheroo mean for you? For starters, Clark County’s local public services are making it easier than ever to recycle right from your curb each week. And since you’re a part of our hive and you know how TJS hearts environmentalism, we hope you’ll do the right thing: go on a big ol’ scavenger hunt in your house, find all the nooks and crannies where those Singletons are hiding, wash ‘em up and get ‘em back here for the refund you deserve! BUT…don’t wait too long. Bring back every blessed empty you can get your hands on before Oct. 31 and we’ll give you a dollar for every bottle you return. We’ll even wash them and re-use them. But come Nov. 1, the return policy is no longer.

Don’t feel bad. Since we won’t be spending so much time scrubbin’ and a-sanitizin’, we’ll have crazy time to dream up new deliciousness. Our new chewing menu is keeping our Bees full from morning to night, and everything on it is such a complement to everything we sell to sip.

Now we should note that if you still want to bring your bottles back, by all means bring ’em back. We can’t give you the $1 for them any more. But we will sanitize them and re-use them.

So, yeah. Our bottle recycling program has a-changed. But before it’s gone for good, we’re giving you until the end of the month to get back a buck for every bottle you bring back. (RINSEDthankyouverymuch. No science experiments….) Hope to see you soon.

In The Juice ‘Cleanse’ Debate, The Word ‘Fast’ Rules

March 3, 2016 By Jen Chase

You say potato; we say potahto. We used to say “juice cleanse.” Now we say “juice fast.”

(Wha?)

Yes: The Juice Standard is experiencing a paradigm shift. In the last few months we’ve paused to re-eval our core beliefs about cleanses, fasts and how we describe the tools we use to tweak our health. Now that we’ve successfully mulled it over for ourselves, we’re ready for the big reveal to you.

And Here’s The Big Reveal

We’ve made a very important decision: We’re moving away from talk of “cleanses” and toward talk of “fasting,” a change that may seem small but one that’s of high import.

Here’s why.

A “fast” is typically when anyone gives their body a complete break from chewing food or drastically reduces their caloric intake. Why would anyone want to do this? All the energy that goes into digesting food diverts to other parts of our body’s daily existence.

The benefits of fasting are the same as cleansing:

You still feel slim in the belly.
Your energy increases and cognition feels a little sharper.
You sleep better.
It’s easier to get up in the morn.
Your body can better heal wounds (or other issues) since more energy is going to where it needs it.
Toxins are removed from your system.

But in addition to all those goodies, in the last few years, well researched books like the UK phenomenon The Fast Diet have touted the medical benefits of allowing the body to rest for 12 to 16 hours between our nighttime meal and what we eat the following day. And those bennies include reversed signs of aging, alleviating arthritis and asthma, and helping the brain turn over new cells quicker, which increases our thinking capacity and makes room for new cells.

What we formerly referred to as the TJS’s “Standard Cleanse” clocks in at just about 1200 calories. Any deep reduction in calories—especially when the only source of calories or nutrients is liquid and not solid—will feel like a fast. And anything that feels like a fast is going to feel healing.

So, Why Not Keep Calling a Cleanse a Cleanse?

For starters, there’s one poo-poo’er in every group of juicers that loves pointing out that we have kidneys and livers to cleanse our bods. And truthfully, they’re right. Our liver and kidneys filter blood that carries nutrients throughout our body, and then those organs help filter, flush and cleanse them fully from our bods via our urine and poo. But we also know that juicing helps facilitate this process more effectively and efficiently…so juicing certainly helps those organs do their organy thing.

Is It More Accurate To Call Flushing the System with Juice a “Fast?”

In a word, yes.

At roughly 1200 cold-pressed calories per day, our newly referred to “juice fasts” provide the same balanced nutrition, hydration and satisfaction that rests digestion, and prime the gut to energize the body—and your busy life!—just like our previously referred to “juice cleanses.”

This is our story and we’re sticking to it:

The STANDARD FAST is a beeautiful entry-level fast. Your juice consumption is spread across six, 16-ounce bottles of original-recipe flavors developed to deliver maximum satisfaction (read: satiety) and crave-ability (read: taste).

The GREEN STANDARD is for the seasoned juicer who prefers navigating an all green-juice fast. Feelings of soaring energy and super-hero stardom can neither be confirmed nor denied.

The “B.Y.O.F.” (Build Your Own Fast) is an exercise in craftsmanship and deliciousness. TJS staff will personally pair our menu with your palate and health goals.

Can you still call a TJS cleanse a cleanse? Course you can. But with all of fasting’s benefits and the research available that touts them, file this paradigm shift Sesame Street style…under the letter “K” for Knowledge Is Power.

TCOLV…Here, Oh Here Come We!

February 4, 2016 By Jen Chase

Pretty soon, Off the second-floor elevators at the Chandelier Bar; Across from STITCHED; and, In direct sight of the line-up line for Marquee, will be three ways to answer what we hope will be The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas’s hottest question of 2016:

Where’s The Juice Standard?

Best part? The answer will always add up to awesomeness.

Following suit with “The Rose” and “The Hive,” TJS’s third outpost will be affectionately called “The Buzz,” and is fixing to open at The Cosmopolitan in February. So when you or your Strip-bound guests are looking to whet your whistle with the most deliciously raw, fresh, cold-pressed sips made from organic produce, nuts, seeds, and grains , remember: Unlike those big-box brands from out-of-state, we’re the real-deal local choice that’s never pasteurized, and always served with advice, a smile and some love. (And, a menu that features faves and a few surprises can neither be confirmed nor denied.)

From The Founders: Reflection, and the New Year’s News at TJS

January 6, 2016 By Jen Chase

Is that you, 2016? Well helloooo, Beeautiful! While a new year can mean out with the old, in with the new, co-founders Jamie Stephenson and Marcella Williams take a few minutes from 2-0-1-6 to reflect on how any TJS year-that-was will always shape its year ahead, as long as TJS sticks to its standards. (Spoiler: It’s going to be juicy.)

When we first opened The Juice Standard (and in March, it will be a full 2 years since we did), we had lofty goals and dreams that were rooted in fostering our inner selves as much as promoting our business model. From the beginning, we were fortunate to hire gifted people who believe in the brand. And along the way, they have helped shape how our boutique company strives to thrive in a capitalistic climate while staying wholehearted…how we navigate the highs of Las Vegas’s making TJS its go-to juice bar for cold-pressed juice that’s committed to organics, as well as retail’s natural lows. (As you know, “this too shall pass” goes both ways as it helps us ride life’s waves when things are going smoothly, and even when they’re not).

The inner growth our team has experienced as we’ve worked toward our shared goal—spreading wellness through juice—is as profound as our business growth. And as for business growth, in 2015 there was a lot:

We opened our second store—The Rose, on St. Rose Parkway in Henderson—where it soon became a gathering place for like-minded juicers (and folks who like communal farmers tables).

We introduced flavors like Bee I’m Possible and Bee Kind.

We launched a chewing menu of which we are proud and excited to evolve.

We were awarded the Henderson Chamber of Commerce’s 2015 Innovation Award for sticking to the standards on which we built this company (more on those below).

The Las Vegas Review-Journal named us Best Of Las Vegas in our category.

We earned exciting press for sharing our story, and just being ourselves.

Though it feels like we’ve been growing by leaps and bounds, we’re trying to go slowly. Mindfully. We always want to do things right, as our main focus will always be juice. And that’s a good thing, since in early 2016 we’ll be making our Las Vegas Strip debut by beecoming the exclusive juice bar at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas, where we have so many unspeakably exciting things to launch, we can hardly stand the wait. And for the better part of 2015, beside our team of trusted trusteds, we have been working on our new Hive, an outpost that will allow us to press more, and make more nosh.

Excitement all around.

We deeply recognize that this growth was only possible beecause of the customers we appreciate so much. Our customers are people who visit us from near and far, and who have so much integrity, they demand high-quality juice for their bodies and trust us to give it to them. It’s for our customers—you, our Bees—that TJS will continue to improve and grow according to our standards:

• WE SOURCE Organic Produce (If it can’t be sourced organic, we simply won’t serve it.)

• WE PRACTICE 0% High-Pressure Processing (HPP) (Our juice is raw and pressed daily. No sterilized, pasteurized, shelf-stabilized juice leaves our facilities. Ever.)

• WE ARE Environmentally Sound (We reduce, re-use, recycle, refund, and in turn, respect our world through our bottling and composting efforts.)

• WE ARE Customer Centric (Our handholding staff guides new juicers and old down their path toward WHealth™ and glowing self.)

• WE ARE Purpose Driven (We believe in protecting bees; honoring farmers; supporting local business; revering staff members; embracing transparency; creating awareness; nurturing health; serving quality; and spreading love.)

So, yes: 2015 was a very good year. But we won’t rest on our laurels. And as we look toward 2016, we’re excited to continue to serve you, our Beeautiful Juicers, our finest product as we stick to the standards that educate, innovate and celebrate all of our journees toward WHealth™ and glowing self.