At Optima®, we are passionate about fostering a vibrant community where enterprises thrive alongside our residents, creating a dynamic living experience. In this installment of “Discover Optima’s Commercial Tenants,” we sat down with Brooke Graves, CEO & Owner at Kaleidoscope Juice, to share her thoughts about how her business brings a healthy fast-casual experience to residents at Optima Sonoran Village®.

Tell us about Kaleidoscope Juice and your history at Optima Sonoran Village®.
Kaleidoscope Juice was founded by Alexandra Maw in 2012 where she had received a business grant from Arizona State University for the concept of creating healthy food and organic juice in Scottsdale, Arizona. We were partners for many years, before she decided to retire from the business and I became the sole owner. I started at Kaleidoscope as one of Alexandra’s original hires, just after finishing my undergrad studies in nutrition dietetics and entering grad school to study human nutrition and functional medicine. From the beginning, my interests were completely aligned with the business and Alexandra’s vision for growth.

Optima Sonoran Village® was our second or third store and we’ve been there for nearly nine years. From the beginning it has been such a great location. Our customers are so friendly and all know each other — I love going there because I feel like I’m at a popular neighborhood bar, with a loyal, regular clientele, that serves juice and healthy food instead of alcohol!

What is most distinctive about your business operations?
Kaleidoscope Juice is entirely female-run, which is something we take great pride in. We have found enormous success with uplifting women and promoting them from within. All of my management team now is women that I’ve worked with for nearly 10 years. Together we’ve created a welcoming, safe, fun, and female-empowered environment.

What’s happening with the business that has you most excited?
The brand expansion. Since I stepped into the CEO role four years ago, we’ve been growing our footprint and now we’re gearing up to open our eighth location in Arcadia in July (2024). I just completed my PhD in nutrition this spring, which feeds directly into our vision for Kaleidoscope as an enterprise on the leading edge of nutrition science where our menu keeps pace with the latest research in therapeutic culinary medicine. My recent studies have also allowed me to bring into the business a focus on exemplary product quality and sustainable sourcing, which I think are crucial to our future success.

We’ll probably max out at nine to 10 stores in the valley. Then, I’m hoping to take Kaleidoscope Juice out of state within the next two to three years, into markets in Texas or Florida. And that’s either in Texas or in Florida.

At the heart of the brand expansion is the work we’ve done to streamline our operations across multiple locations. In the early years, each store was different. Some had kitchens, others didn’t. The menus varied from store to store. We’ve now standardized our locations in terms of layout and menu, which allows for cross-training and seamless expansion; at the same time we are very intentional about delivering a unique customer experience based on location. I hire different designers for each new store and work with them to reflect unique characteristics of the neighborhood we’re in through the interior design.

Who are some of your wholesale customers?
Special events are an important part of our business, both in terms of revenue and brand awareness. Last year, we were in New York Fashion Week and did juice for Marie Claire’s New York Fashion Week dinner that they had sponsored with J. Crew. Earlier this year, we provided product for a women’s business summit sponsored by Marie Claire. We juice weekly for the Phoenix Suns and the Phoenix Mercury, and a number of other sports teams, too.

What new products are you working on?
We just had a product launch for a juice called Anne. We tend to name our juices after the customers who inspired them. In the case of Anne, she was a friend of the business who passed away a year and a half ago from cancer. Last year, through my oncology nutrition classes, I learned so much about how to help people who are going through chemotherapy deal with symptoms like dehydration, mouth sores, constipation, and anxiety. And while I was too late to help Anne, we were able to create a juice for other customers undergoing chemotherapy, which is so satisfying for our entire team.

Brooke and her company’s innovative approach to nutrition, coupled with a strong sense of community and customer-centric design, have made Kaleidoscope Juice a beloved fixture at Optima Sonoran Village® and beyond. We celebrate their success and prospects for a bright future as they continue to  bring their healthy concept to more communities.