A juice bar uses fresh ingredients to prepare smoothies and a wide variety of juice drinks. Many juice bars also offer other types of health food products and some provide seating for their customers to enable them to socialize while enjoying their products.
Ready to turn your business idea into a reality? We recommend forming an LLC as it is the most affordable way to protect your personal assets. You can do this yourself or with our trusted partner for a small fee.
Northwest ($29 + State Fees)
DIY: How to Start an LLC
Start a juice bar by following these 10 steps:
- Plan your Juice Bar
- Form your Juice Bar into a Legal Entity
- Register your Juice Bar for Taxes
- Open a Business Bank Account & Credit Card
- Set up Accounting for your Juice Bar
- Get the Necessary Permits & Licenses for your Juice Bar
- Get Juice Bar Insurance
- Define your Juice Bar Brand
- Create your Juice Bar Website
- Set up your Business Phone System
We have put together this simple guide to starting your juice bar. These steps will ensure that your new business is well planned out, registered properly and legally compliant.
Exploring your options? Check out other small business ideas.
STEP 1: Plan your business
A clear plan is essential for success as an entrepreneur. It will help you map out the specifics of your business and discover some unknowns. A few important topics to consider are:
- What will you name your business?
- What are the startup and ongoing costs?
- Who is your target market?
- How much can you charge customers?
Luckily we have done a lot of this research for you.
What will you name your business?
Choosing the right name is important and challenging. If you don’t already have a name in mind, visit our How to Name a Business guide or get help brainstorming a name with our Juice Bar Name Generator
If you operate a sole proprietorship, you might want to operate under a business name other than your own name. Visit our DBA guide to learn more.
When registering a business name, we recommend researching your business name by checking:
- Your state’s business records
- Federal and state trademark records
- Social media platforms
- Web domain availability
It’s very important to secure your domain name before someone else does.
What are the costs involved in opening a juice bar?
Opening a juice bar business can be done with less than $10,000 including the necessary business licenses, permits and insurance. The cost depends on whether your juice bar will be a part of another business such as a fitness center, or whether it will be a stand-alone store. You will need to rent space that includes a sink for washing and preparing the fruits and vegetables. The cost for a basic juicer is approximately $100, while cold-press machines cost about $300. Vegetable juicers are more expensive, starting at $2,400. You will also need a supply of cups, preferably biodegradable, which, if ordered in bulk, can cost less than twelve cents each. Straws are also a staple item at most juice shops.
Read our juice bar purchasing guide to learn about the materials and equipment you’ll need to start a juice bar, how much to budget, and where to make purchases.
What are the ongoing expenses for a juice bar?
- Rent for retail space
- Utilities
- Cost of Ingredients
- Staff salaries
- Equipment maintenance
- POS/ Inventory software service
Who is the target market?
Preferred clients include health conscious people with a desire to increase their energy levels.
How does a juice bar make money?
A juice bar business makes money by charging customers for fresh, quality juice-based beverages. Pricing depends on the ingredients, time, skill, and expertise it takes to purchase and prepare these drinks. Many juice bars partner with health food stores to provide other healthy food products as well.
How much can you charge customers?
Most juice bar owners try to keep the cost of ingredients down to about 30 percent of the retail price to be able to cover ongoing expenses and realize a profit. A juice drink containing several ingredients can cost anywhere from $6.00 to $16.00, depending on the cost of ingredients and the local economy. Organic ingredients command a higher price.
How much profit can a juice bar make?
Well-established, successful juice bar businesses have reported profit margins from 30% to 40%.
How can you make your business more profitable?
Adding extra healthful ingredients such as bee pollen or spirulina for an additional charge can increase profits. Providing healthy foods, such as salads, which are made from the raw ingredients of your juicing products can also be lucrative. Some juice bar owners also contract with local event coordinators to provide food and beverages for community and sporting events.
Want a more guided approach? Access TRUiC’s free Small Business Startup Guide – a step-by-step course for turning your business idea into reality. Get started today!
STEP 2: Form a legal entity
One crucial aspect that cannot be overlooked when starting your juice bar is the importance of establishing a solid business foundation. While sole proprietorships and partnerships are the most common entity types for small businesses, they’re a far less stable and advantageous option than LLCs.
This is because unincorporated business structures (i.e., sole proprietorships and partnerships) expose you as an owner to personal liability for your business’s debts and legal actions, while LLCs protect you by keeping your personal assets separate from your business’s liabilities.
In practice, this means that if your juice bar were to face a lawsuit or incur any debts, your savings, home, and other personal assets could not be used to cover these costs. On top of this, forming your business as an LLC also helps it to appear more legitimate and trustworthy.
More than 84% of our readers opt to collaborate with a professional LLC formation service to kickstart their venture. We’ve negotiated a tailored discount for our readers, bringing the total down to just $29.
Note: If you’re interested in more information before getting started, we recommend having a look at our state-specific How to Start an LLC guide (DIY) or our in-depth Best LLC Services review (for those opting for a professional service).
STEP 3: Register for taxes
You will need to register for a variety of state and federal taxes before you can open for business.
In order to register for taxes you will need to apply for an EIN. It’s really easy and free!
You can acquire your EIN through the IRS website. If you would like to learn more about EINs, read our article, What is an EIN?
There are specific state taxes that might apply to your business. Learn more about state sales tax and franchise taxes in our state sales tax guides.
STEP 4: Open a business bank account & credit card
Using dedicated business banking and credit accounts is essential for personal asset protection.
When your personal and business accounts are mixed, your personal assets (your home, car, and other valuables) are at risk in the event your business is sued. In business law, this is referred to as piercing your corporate veil.
Open a business bank account
Besides being a requirement when applying for business loans, opening a business bank account:
- Separates your personal assets from your company’s assets, which is necessary for personal asset protection.
- Makes accounting and tax filing easier.
Recommended: Read our Best Banks for Small Business review to find the best national bank or credit union.
Get a business credit card
Getting a business credit card helps you:
- Separate personal and business expenses by putting your business’ expenses all in one place.
- Build your company’s credit history, which can be useful to raise money later on.
Recommended: Apply for an easy approval business credit card from BILL and build your business credit quickly.
STEP 5: Set up business accounting
Recording your various expenses and sources of income is critical to understanding the financial performance of your business. Keeping accurate and detailed accounts also greatly simplifies your annual tax filing.
Make LLC accounting easy with our LLC Expenses Cheat Sheet.
STEP 6: Obtain necessary permits and licenses
Failure to acquire necessary permits and licenses can result in hefty fines, or even cause your business to be shut down.
State & Local Business Licensing Requirements
Certain state permits and licenses may be needed to operate juice bar business. Learn more about licensing requirements in your state by visiting SBA’s reference to state licenses and permits.
In particular, most states also require retail businesses to obtain a seller’s permit. A seller’s permit allows states to record and collect taxes from goods (and sometimes service) sales.
Most businesses are required to collect sales tax on the goods or services they provide. To learn more about how sales tax will affect your business, read our article, Sales Tax for Small Businesses.
Certificate of Occupancy
A juice bar is generally run out of a small retail location. Businesses operating out of a physical location typically require a Certificate of Occupancy (CO). A CO confirms that all building codes, zoning laws and government regulations have been met.
- If you plan to lease a retail location:
- It is generally the landlord’s responsibility to obtain a CO.
- Before leasing, confirm that your landlord has or can obtain a valid CO that is applicable to a juice bar.
- After a major renovation, a new CO often needs to be issued. If your place of business will be renovated before opening, it is recommended to include language in your lease agreement stating that lease payments will not commence until a valid CO is issued.
- If you plan to purchase or build your juice bar:
- You will be responsible for obtaining a valid CO from a local government authority.
- Review all building codes and zoning requirements for you business’ location to ensure your juice bar business will be in compliance and able to obtain a CO.
STEP 7: Get business insurance
Just as with licenses and permits, your business needs insurance in order to operate safely and lawfully. Business Insurance protects your company’s financial wellbeing in the event of a covered loss.
There are several types of insurance policies created for different types of businesses with different risks. If you’re unsure of the types of risks that your business may face, begin with General Liability Insurance. This is the most common coverage that small businesses need, so it’s a great place to start for your business.
Another notable insurance policy that many businesses need is Workers’ Compensation Insurance. If your business will have employees, it’s a good chance that your state will require you to carry Workers’ Compensation Coverage.
Find out what types of insurance your Juice Bar needs and how much it will cost you by reading our guide Business Insurance for Juice Bar.
STEP 8: Define your brand
Your brand is what your company stands for, as well as how your business is perceived by the public. A strong brand will help your business stand out from competitors.
If you already have a logo, you can also add it to a QR code with our Free QR Code Generator. Choose from 13 QR code types to create a code for your business cards and publications, or to help spread awareness for your new website.
How to promote & market a juice bar
One of the best ways to promote a juice bar business is to partner with other local businesses such as gyms, wellness centers, and health food stores. Partnering with local farmer’s markets allows you to offer the freshest ingredients from a trusted source while potentially reducing the cost of your ingredients.
Creating and offering a new recipe each month is another effective promotional strategy. It can also prove to be profitable if the recipe uses ingredients that are in season and affordably priced. Juice bars tend to experience seasonal spikes in business. For example, they are more popular during summer months and just after the New Year, when people are especially health-conscious. Putting extra effort into marketing during off-season months is important to sustain your business year-round. Advertising your healthful products in the form of tempting seasonal recipes to build up the immune system before cold and flu season is one effective way to do that.
How to keep customers coming back
Attending local events such as concerts or even Little League games with fliers and free samples is one good way to attract new customers. Parents usually appreciate an alternative to sugary drinks and snacks. Once you have attracted some customers, one good way to retain them is by giving them ways to provide feedback about your products and service. One great way to do that is by posting a survey on social media offering several tempting recipes and the opportunity for customers to vote on which one will be featured the following week. Those who participate can receive a discount on their next purchase. As with any business, the best way to retain customers is by providing a superior product along with excellent customer service. In this business, having sufficient staff to keep every surface gleaming is equally important for inspiring your customers’ trust in your commitment to their good health.
STEP 9: Create your business website
After defining your brand and creating your logo the next step is to create a website for your business.
While creating a website is an essential step, some may fear that it’s out of their reach because they don’t have any website-building experience. While this may have been a reasonable fear back in 2015, web technology has seen huge advancements in the past few years that makes the lives of small business owners much simpler.
Here are the main reasons why you shouldn’t delay building your website:
- All legitimate businesses have websites – full stop. The size or industry of your business does not matter when it comes to getting your business online.
- Social media accounts like Facebook pages or LinkedIn business profiles are not a replacement for a business website that you own.
- Website builder tools like the GoDaddy Website Builder have made creating a basic website extremely simple. You don’t need to hire a web developer or designer to create a website that you can be proud of.
Recommended: Get started today using our recommended website builder or check out our review of the Best Website Builders.
Other popular website builders are: WordPress, WIX, Weebly, Squarespace, and Shopify.
STEP 10: Set up your business phone system
Getting a phone set up for your business is one of the best ways to help keep your personal life and business life separate and private. That’s not the only benefit; it also helps you make your business more automated, gives your business legitimacy, and makes it easier for potential customers to find and contact you.
There are many services available to entrepreneurs who want to set up a business phone system. We’ve reviewed the top companies and rated them based on price, features, and ease of use. Check out our review of the Best Business Phone Systems 2024 to find the best phone service for your small business.
Recommended Business Phone Service: Phone.com
Phone.com is our top choice for small business phone numbers because of all the features it offers for small businesses and it’s fair pricing.
Is this Business Right For You?
A juice bar is a great business for high-energy, health conscious people who want to contribute to the overall health of their communities.
Want to know if you are cut out to be an entrepreneur?
Take our Entrepreneurship Quiz to find out!
What happens during a typical day at a juice bar?
Some of the daily activities of a juice bar business owner include purchasing ingredients, developing new recipes, pricing drinks, updating your menu, training new staff, and of course keeping your books up to date.
You will also want to set aside time for promoting your business.
What are some skills and experiences that will help you build a successful juice bar?
This business also requires a wide knowledge of fruits and vegetables, including which are in season and when, their nutritional value, and taste combinations. Communication skills are essential since you will be working with vendors, employees, and customers on a daily basis. Negotiation skills are also in high demand in this business, since produce must be purchased daily to maintain freshness.
What is the growth potential for a juice bar?
Jamba Juice, one of the most well-known juice bars, earned 62.35 million in revenue in the first three quarters of 2016, of which 26.335 million was profit. The store boasts 800 locations in 26 states as well as several international locations. Of those locations, approximately 287 are company-owned, while about 517 are franchise-operated.
Take the Next Step
Find a business mentor
One of the greatest resources an entrepreneur can have is quality mentorship. As you start planning your business, connect with a free business resource near you to get the help you need.
Having a support network in place to turn to during tough times is a major factor of success for new business owners.
Learn from other business owners
Want to learn more about starting a business from entrepreneurs themselves? Visit Startup Savant’s startup founder series to gain entrepreneurial insights, lessons, and advice from founders themselves.
Resources to Help Women in Business
There are many resources out there specifically for women entrepreneurs. We’ve gathered necessary and useful information to help you succeed both professionally and personally:
- Funding
- Events
- Guides
- Support
If you’re a woman looking for some guidance in entrepreneurship, check out this great new series Women in Business created by the women of our partner Startup Savant.
How and when to build a team
It’s important to build a team of vendors and trained staff before opening your juice bar for business. The success of your business will depend on your ability to provide fresh ingredients that are prepared and served by skilled and personable staff.
Useful Links
TRUiC Resources
Industry Opportunities
- Franchise opportunity
- Franchise Opportunity #2
- Franchise Opportunity #3
- Juice bar consultant
- Juice and Smoothie Association