Today we’d like to introduce you to Danielle McDonald.
Hi Danielle, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
We started Radiant Mama in January of 2018 with one single product, homemade elderberry syrup. We had just had our second daughter, Lily, and were living with my mom at home and were searching for something that would help build natural immunity and keep the germs at bay in our household with our oldest daughter in school. We started out at the local farmer’s market and worked Saturdays there for about 1.5 years. Our product was helping a lot of people in our community because it was something plant-based and natural that really worked to help people from getting sick and to help them recover faster. We decided at that time to dream a little bigger.
My husband, Bobby, and I had fallen in love with juicing and its health benefits back in 2012, so had years of experience with creating recipes at home to enjoy. At the time (2019), there was no juice and smoothie bar in Bastrop, TX so we decided to create one! We started out in May 2019, in a very tiny, 100 square foot space, and had one juicer and two blenders. The community really loved the idea of a healthier option in our city, so we had a lot of great support. The business began to grow and we quickly outgrew the 100 sq. ft. space and transitioned to a 400 sq. ft. space and also increased our equipment and staff a bit. Everything was going really well, and so around February of 2020, we decided we needed an even bigger space and began to search.
However, the pandemic hit one month later, so we had to shut down operations for an entire month or so before then coming back and only being able to offer curbside for a few months. We finally found a new location located in downtown Bastrop, so with the pandemic still at its height, we began to work to relocate across town to the new location. All the while, we and our team were still juicing at a commercial kitchen and offering online and phone juice orders for pickup and delivery. We relocated and opened at the new downtown location in February of 2021. Since then, business has continued to grow and we have expanded our menu to include salads, avocado toast, loaded fruit muffins, smoothie bowls, Plexus gut health nutrition supplement programs and more! We look forward to seeing what the future has in store for us!
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
We have experienced steady growth over the past four years; however, the pandemic and the relocation project in 2021 were major obstacles/hurdles we experienced. This is our first brick-and-mortar business, so we have had to learn a lot about business as we grow and as we go.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
Radiant Juice + Smoothie bar is a family-owned and operated business in Bastrop, TX. We opened our doors in May of 2019 and have been humbly serving the community with healthy drinks and foods, Plexus gut health vitamin programs, herbal supplements and integrative nutrition health coaching services.
We specialize in providing the community with gourmet, whole food and plant-based nourishment! We want everything in our healthy living store and on our bar menu to be plant-based, clean ingredients and local, when possible, Everything is focused on healing and building the body up!
Our family is proud that we were able to support the Bastrop community in natural health and wellness over the past 4 years and during a pandemic by sharing our God-given heart and passion for natural healing. We believe in helping others focus on a balanced, clean lifestyle so that we may live our lives with purpose and determination to make the most of each day that we’re here.
Radiant Mama is located in the heart of downtown Bastrop on Main st. We are nestled up to the Colorado river and love it when our guests come and relax on our riverside “Secret Garden” back patio and stay for a little while. Our entire menu is plant-based, mostly gluten and 100% dairy-free. We offer fresh cold-pressed juices, superfood smoothies, smoothie bowls, avocado toast, loaded fruit muffins, salads, local cold brew coffee, plant-based nutrition supplements, handcrafted elderberry syrup and more!
Networking and finding a mentor can have such a positive impact on one’s life and career. Any advice?
I think getting plugged into your community is always positive! Attend an event, join a gym, go hang out at your local juice bar. =) Get out and get connected with other people and you’ll always meet the people in life that can help you move forward and that you can pay it forward to and help as well.
Contact Info:
- Website: BastropJuiceBar.com
- Instagram: @radiantjuicebar_bastrop
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/radiantmamajuicebar
- Other: Plexusworldwide.com/radiantmama
