LIVING THE JUICE LIFE

Barrington Hills native Loren Jaynes is living her dream life, just in a new way. A stay-at-home mom to three boys, the avid tennis player enjoyed volunteering at Countryside Elementary School, served on the board of Barrington’s Kaleidoscope Art School, and worked out with her friends at Pure Barre in Deer Park. But now, her dream life has a new focus—Nékter Juice Bar.

“Giving back means a lot to me,” Jaynes says. “Our community is so powerful when it comes together.”

And it’s this power that she now witnesses everyday as the co-owner of Nékter Juice Bar of Barrington with husband Brandon Jaynes. “I’ve always been drawn to health and wellness,” explains Jaynes. “Growing up, my mom juiced and made protein smoothies for us daily. Plus, entrepreneurship is in my blood. My great grandfather started Morkes Chocolates over 100 years ago, and my Aunt Rhonda is still running it! Nékter seemed a natural fit while also creating a legacy for my family.”

The first of its kind in the state of Illinois, Nékter Juice Bar opened at 125 S. Hough Street in Barrington in March of 2022 and provides the community with plant-based, healthy food options that promote and support various lifestyles and diet preferences.

“It’s hard to be healthy, but it’s really hard to be unhealthy,” she explains. “You get to choose your hard. Every day, it’s about choices—how much sleep you get, what you read and listen to, and who you surround yourself with. But one of the important choices one makes is the choice of what food or drink you put in your body.”

But make no mistake, Nékter Juice Bar isn’t your ordinary juice bar.

“We’re a juice bar, but we’re not just a juice bar,” explains Jaynes. “We’re a real and authentic juice bar. We offer fresh juices, acai bowls, handcrafted smoothies, and superfood oats, as well as healthy ‘grab and go’ options. Our authenticity shines through as we handcraft everything to order, including our housemade cashew milk.”

In addition to the health-conscious items on the menu, Nékter Juice Bar also provides Barrington an essential space for people to gather. “I really wanted Nékter (Juice Bar) to become this community space where families could go after games or people could host meetings and work,” explains Jaynes, who first became aware of the Nékter Juice Bar franchise during a trip to Arizona a few years back. “That’s why our store is one of the biggest Nékter Juice Bars out there.”

And yes, since opening two years ago, Jaynes says that Nékter Juice Bar has established a vibrant customer base.

“Our customers become repeat customers,” says Jaynes, a graduate of Purdue University and a former interior designer. “This is a part of their lifestyle. They stop in before they step on the train or after a workout. And of course, it’s a perfect place to get an after-school treat! When people come in, we know everybody by name. We know what they’re loving.”

Indeed, a current customer favorite is the PB&J Açaí bowl, which includes natural ingredients such as organic açaí, strawberry, blueberry, banana, and housemade cashew milk. It’s then blended and topped with housemade peanut butter chia pudding, fresh strawberries, peanut butter granola, a peanut butter drizzle, and housemade chia jam.

Jaynes also believes in educating the customers of Nékter Juice Bar about what they should be loving, especially new customers looking for suggestions as to what to order. “There are a lot of fast-food smoothie shops out there, so it’s actually about educating people that we are not a fast-food smoothie shop,” says Jaynes. “We offer ‘Lunch and Learns’ every Friday with different nonprofits and businesses or anyone in the health and wellness for this exact reason—to teach people about health and bring community together.”

Nékter Juice Bar recently debuted a new app, allowing customers to preorder their favorite items ahead of time. “It’s all about educating people about ingredients, and how a fresh menu restaurant works,” explains Jaynes. “You will sometimes have to wait a little longer for your items. It’s a fresh menu. It’s not fast food.”

Jaynes lets out a laugh, because while clearing up misconceptions is a part of a job, it’s a job she loves.

And so does her family.

“My oldest son is going to be in high school next year, and he actually works in the store,” remarks Jaynes, who plans to expand the business in the region when the time is right. “This might be one of our favorite parts of owning a business, because what he is learning is just invaluable. There is nothing like it but being a business owner is not for the faint of heart. This has been the most amazing learning lesson, and I’m only saying amazing now because I’m coming out on the other side of it.”

Nekter Juice Bar is located at 125 South Hough Street in downtown Barrington. For more information, visit nekterjuicebar.com.