Goji Juice Bar
The Somers Point juice bar opens a new location on Asbury Avenue in Ocean City
HEALTHY, plant based food has been trending through Ocean City the last few years. Having plant based, dairy free options is becoming more popular as more people are searching for them. Logically it makes sense- create allergy and sensitivity friendly food that a wider
audience can eat. Farmers markets have always been a good place to go for healthy and locally grown produce. A farmers market is also where Goji Juice Bar began their story.
Goji started when Julia and Scott Lindsay began to sell their products at farmers markets in 2016. In 2019 they opened their first brick and mortar store at 520 New Road, Somers Point.
“The building used to be a Burger King. Our favorite feature of the building was the drive through” said Julia.
This year, they expanded to Ocean City. They brought their healthy eats, juices, and smoothies to 612 Asbury Avenue in July.
“Making health and earth conscious decisions aren’t always the easiest choices. With Goji it was our passion to make that easy,” Julia said.
Scott and Julia are no strangers to plant based living; it’s been their lifestyle for a long time.
“We’ve both been plant based for a majority of our lives – Scott being raised as a vegetarian and myself becoming one in college. We’ve always wanted to own a small business to give back to our community. We never were quite sure how that would show up when we both started our careers. I began as a school teacher in Somers Point and Scott has always been an entrepreneur; he started his own recycling business. After starting our family, the importance of knowing what you’d fuel your body with became even more prevalent. The passion grew and brought us to Goji,” said Julia.
Their products include smoothies, juices, salads, sandwiches, guacamole, nut mylk, raw Reeces, and more. Nut mylk is made with either cashews or almonds and comes in a variety of flavors- chocolate, golden, matcha, vanilla, coffee, and chai.
“Our top selling juice currently is our summer special, Wicked. This cold pressed juice contains watermelon, apple, beet, mint, and jalapeño. Our top selling smoothie is the Chocolate Monkey which is basically a chocolate peanut butter shake without the dairy. Our top bowl is the Tiger Bowl topped with fresh blueberries, gluten free granola, banana, peanut butter, coconut, and local honey. Our top selling salad is the Buffalo Chickpea and the sandwich is the eggless egg salad and coconut bacon BLT,” Julia said.
They also serve a chocolate lover bowl which is chocolate mylk, banana, cacao, and peanut butter topped with granola, banana, dark chocolate almond butter, raw Reeces pieces, coconut, and honey.
Goji believes in sourcing the best local produce around for their products.
“We partner with local produce stores as well as our favorite local farmers. Currently, we are purchasing from Potato Homestead in Woodbine, B.F. Mazzeo, and Santori’s. All have been a great help in sourcing the best local produce,” Scott said.
Making “earth-conscious” business choices includes Goji’s refillable juice program. When you buy juice in a 13oz, 33oz, or 64oz growler, your juice is poured into a glass bottle. Goji invites you to take it home, wash it, and either repurpose it to use around the house or bring it back in for a discounted refill. You have options; Goji has five different kinds of juices made in house. Their Paradise juice has pineapples, apples, oranges, and lemons in it. Their Spark juice contains carrots, oranges, pineapples, apples, ginger, and turmeric.
Juicing is an easy way to get fruits and vegetables into your body.
“Juicing removes the fiber from fruits and vegetables leaving behind the natural juices that are packed with enzymes, nutrients, and vitamins. It’s a super-concentrated nutrient powerhouse – in every 12 oz serving, there’s about two pounds or five servings of fruits and vegetables!,” as stated on the Goji website.
Goji loves to add new items to their kitchen. This summer’s favorite was the tomato salad with fresh basil, Jersey tomatoes, and jalapeños served over a bed of arugula.
“I love hearing client favorites and getting to know families within our community. Being able to use Goji as a creative outlet to try new things, share our juice recipes, or farming is personally fulfilling,” said Scott.
Photos by Liv Bianchi and Allie McEntee