Today we’d like to introduce you to Benjamin Aalvik.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Benjamin. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
Fully Rooted started back in 2013 when a group of friends & family were brought together to make juice for an event at Grace Yoga Studio in North Kingstown, RI. We all had unique health challenges that brought us into the juicing world which was introduced to us by our dear friend Steve Carlson who was juicing for his Rheumatoid Arthritis. Steve was off all his medications and injections after 6 short months of daily juicing, which inspired us all to get into it. Currently, there are 3 owners: Amanda Repose, Angelo Mollis, and Ben Aalvik.
After the event at Grace Yoga where we were all asked many times, “where are you located?”, we decided to locate ourselves at 1 farmers market every other week. From that point, we added more markets to our lineup and after 4 years, were attending up to 11 markets per week in summer. What also made that possible, was a business loan CIC Lending in CT for a commercial cold-press juicer. We went from juicing 1 gallon per hour at the market with 6 people working, to juicing 10-20 gallons per hour so we could send 1 person each to multiple markets.
We went on to create juice cleanses and new products like Hemp Mylk and Kombucha. Last October, we opened our first retail location at the mill we produce at in Pawtucket, RI. We’ve also partnered with businesses such as SALT Cycle Studio in Tiverton, The Woods Yoga in Lincoln, the Lululemon stores in RI, and NBX Yoga in Narragansett for various events and offers. Working with other like-minded businesses has been our focus within the last year and we look forward to more opportunities with them in the future. Look out for our next retail store coming this year!
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
There are always unique challenges to businesses are we are no exception to that. Regulations can be very restricting and the education of regulatory authorities on our products has been a huge challenge. This has led to many delays, costly label changes, and setbacks for our business. It’s very important but challenging to have good communication with those who regulate your business. Raw, cold-pressed juice is something that scares health departments and we take our food safety education and juice production very seriously.
Please tell us about Fully Rooted, Inc.
Fully Rooted has certainly changed my life. I’ve always been known to my friends to be a serial entrepreneur and have had multiple businesses in the past. But this one is certainly special. My partners are fantastic to work with and we have a great bond, shared vision, and work really hard together. Owning a business can be a lonely feat, but with partners, it can be much more fun.
Now that we are growing larger, I’m finding a lot of joy in those we hire to work with us. Some special peeps have found their way to us and I’m extremely grateful. It really reflects the way we run our business and our philosophy of building rapport with customers, which is what our employees were when we met them. Many of our wonderful customers rely on our products for healing and overall health improvement.
One special person, in particular, had a tumor on her thyroid the size of a golf ball. She came to us for guidance, we pointed her towards some resources and after changing her diet and involving lots of juice on a weekly basis, that tumor is gone. Starting our business at the farmers’ markets has created a setting where we could interact directly with our following and really get to know them in this way.
If you watch us at any market, you’ll see how many people we know by name and how much we understand what’s happening in their lives. There are so many stories like this that have motivated us to keep the business moving forward and pushing through some long, 14+hr juicing days or having to get up at 4 am to make sure juice is in the fridge at the store for those who rely on it.
My favorite aspect of running Fully Rooted has been the relationships I’ve gained in the process. Working with local farms, growers, and other local businesses have been such a pleasure! I specialize in multiple parts of the business but new product creation, doing pop-up events, and setting new juice pick-up locations has been my favorite. In addition to that, I’m in charge of website development and maintenance, graphic design and branding ( those dang labels! ), setting up new markets in new locations, Kombucha production and also involved in juice production.
Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
I’m very lucky to have had such a great childhood. There are so many great memories that have shaped me to be who I am, but if I had to choose one that stands out right now it would have to be my time spent in the woods behind my house. I would spend many hours back there with my brother and friends exploring, playing, and building all types of forts and trails. That continues to be a special place for me that I revisit every now and then for a nice walk or run.
Contact Info:
- Address: 560 Mineral Spring Ave, Pawtucket RI
- Website: fullyrooted.com
- Phone: (401) 429-8768
- Email: info@fullyrooted.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/fullyrootedjuice
- Facebook: facebook.com/fullyrooted
Image Credit:
Move Mountains Co.
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