Natural Wonders Health Food Store/Co-op

Natural Health food store serving up healthy smoothies, natural supplements/Co-op and grab and go snacks in San Juan Bautista, CA.

Our long term goal is to be different in our customer service.  First one of the owners will be at the store managing and building customer service through knowledge about our product and getting to know our customers in a small community.  We will do the research for our customers when they have a question or request for a product.  We will lead with our hearts and passion when developing our customized inventory to our customers. Change is the only thing that is constant, so we are willing to change to the requests of growing trends.
The building we will be renting is a one unit with two stores.  We will be one of the stores, the owner of the building has the other store.  Our future goals is to purchase the building and own both stores to either grow our inventory or keep it small and add on a yoga/meditation studio.  There is a shaded patio in the back and we would like to utilize this space for people to enjoy the CA outdoors. Further we would like to add guest speakers on a monthly basis for health topics to educate our community about healthy choices.  We would also like to encourage the biking, hiking and walking groups to come to our store before and after their adventures to enjoy our menu to prepare/recover from their workouts.
This adventure is not just about buying a business, owning and running a store.  This is about two women who would like to share their passion, experience, knowledge, and creativity to the community which they reside in.  We understand that healthy ways is the preventative medicine to a less painful and happier way of life as we age.  We want to encourage this by providing this way of life to our small community, which needs this, because there is nothing like our business idea in the area.  We know it works because it has been proven all over the world.  One thing about being in a historic town is, no franchise company can come in. We will be a local owned store by locals for the locals and tourist.  San Juan Bautista has two new housing developments in the area in the past year.  These are family homes which range from $600,000-900,000+.   
We are asking for 75K to purchase the business and get started slowly, but if we get more than we ask for we can do some leasehold improvements to get the business setup to function more smoothly for our smoothies. :-)

Our partnership includes two women who have worked together in various capacities for 7 years.  We both live in San Juan Bautista and would like to build a thriving business with healthy options that will positively impact our local community and provide an income for us. We have developed a solid business plan and are requesting funding to support our venture.
We have currently raised $35,000 and are seeking $75k to purchase a turnkey business and expand it to offer a smoothie and juice shop.

Kristina Hastings has a B.A. in Nutrition and has managed a variety of food service environments over the last 20 yrs. Kristina has extensive experience in managing day to day operations, daily reconciliations, marketing and office management. Kristina will be the day-day manager/owner/operator. She is also a 500R yoga instructor with over 15 years of teaching experience.

Kim Calame has over 35 years of management in both private and public sectors. She has a M.A in Parks and Recreation Management. She has owned and operated a small business and has experience in delivering and managing food service in a variety of settings. She currently is employed with the parks and recreation department of Santa Clara County as a Program Manager ll and manages a 1.4 million budget.  Kim will work part-time at the store and manage the back end of the business, including marketing, product ordering/inventory and purchasing. 

Both owners have extensive experience in management, customer service and food service.

We are requesting funding to support the purchase and operation of a Smoothie/Natural Supplement business in San Juan Bautista, Ca. We have a unique opportunity that will enable us to purchase a Turnkey business and expand it to add healthy, refreshing Smoothies, Juices and grab and go snacks. The existing business has been closed due to owner illness. She sells natural supplements and offers food service of soups and sandwiches. While we were initially looking to open a smoothie shop, this unique opportunity allows us to open our door with 80% of the equipment we need and $50k worth of Natural supplement products for half of the cost. The cost of the business is only $75,000. We will pay rent to the owner of the building. The other $45 will enable us to purchase an ice machine and will provide start up funds for smoothie/juice products and other business costs. 

Our business will be located in San Juan Bautista, Ca. San Juan Bautista is a designated "Historical" community that is well-known as a destination site for many people in San Jose and surrounding areas. San Juan Bautista hosts one of the oldest missions in California which attracts many tourists. In addition, the main street, in which our shop would be located, is 5 five blocks full of a variety of stores and restaurants. People love to come to SJB to stroll, shop and eat.  There are no other shops that would compete with our products. As a “Historic” community, large corporate competitors are not permitted to operate. The location for our business is in a prime location with many businesses that have been successful for years.

Most of the businesses in San Juan Bautista are still in operation and have continued to bring in revenue. Our business would be mainly “grab and go.” We will have outside seating available for those who purchase our products. We can operate within the appropriate protocols and be successful. As protocols decrease, the city hosts many events that add to local commerce.

Currently, we have 50% of the funding we will need to purchase the turnkey business.  We will need to expand the existing business to include Smoothies, Juices, and natural supplements.  Smoothies represent a 5 billion dollar industry. They have a high profit margin. For example, the cost of our 16oz. smoothie is $1. 70. We will profit $5.30 per 16oz drink, a 300% profit margin. We will also  offer Smoothie bowls and healthy grab and go snacks. We can open the doors immediately to sell nutritional products purchased with the business. It also includes most equipment that we need. The shop is set up for food service with new counters and sinks, among other equipment. We have developed a solid business plan and we are determined to work hard, provide solid business management, create excitement through marketing and develop a sustainable lucrative business.
We project that we will $50,000 for our first year of operation. 

We have applied and will continue to apply for grants dedicated to small business, women, and “turnkey” businesses. Many of them require at least a year in business. We will continue to pursue ongoing funding from a variety of sources. 

Summary: In summary, we are seeking $75k in funding to support the purchase and expansion of an existing turnkey business. We project that we will need $85k in total to purchase and expand the business and we have raised $35k.