Stephanie Witwer’s dream of creating high quality, all-organic cold press juices to help individuals live healthier, came to life at an event early in 2015. She met Jon Maraschin, Executive Director of the Business Incubator Center, who encouraged her to attend the SBDC’s Leading Edge course in February. Stephanie did and was inspired to launch her business from the Business Incubator Center’s Commercial Kitchen a few months later.

After moving into the Business Incubator Center, Stephanie purchased a $25,000 juice press to keep up with her growing business. She continued to meet with SBDC coaches and take other SBDC classes. Stephanie learned to manage cash flows, hire an employee, and other skills to grow her business. Stephanie says she “built confidence and was able to keep after it and never give up.” She was motivated and “wanted to make the community healthier,” one person at a time.

After a busy summer season at the Downtown Farmer’s Market under her belt, it was clear she needed to expand into a location with high foot traffic. In August of 2015, she had the confidence to go it alone and moved into a location on Main Street in Grand Junction. Stephanie’s business continues to grow and she would like to eventually expand to the Telluride area.

Stephanie gets ongoing coaching from the Grand Junction SBDC. Her advice to business owners is to “go from the heart and be passionate about what you do.”