STILLWATER, Minnesota — At 14 years old, Berkli Dias' schedule rivals the busiest adults.
Dias wakes up at 5:30 a.m., takes care of the family's dogs and then goes to swimming practice in River Falls from 7-9 a.m. She then drives to downtown Stillwater and works from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at her juice bar before heading home.
"It's super busy. It's super tiring. But it's been so fun and so rewarding," Dias said.
Dias' mom, Kerri Harting, is the owner of Eagle Eye Farm — an alpaca farm in River Falls.
"We were thinking about selling juice in our farm store and we were looking around for good options but everything only came in single-use containers and we didn't really like that. So I was like, I could make the juice," Dias said.
As a competitive swimmer, Dias had already been juicing for the past four years.
"It was really hard for me to get in all my nutrients in a day because before practice I have to eat something. But if I eat a meal, I don't feel very well. So I started juicing because it's a little bit lighter, but I still get in my fruits and vegetables," Dias said.
Then in March of this year, Harting opened All Things Sheared in downtown Stillwater. The space just happened to already have a kitchen.
Dias decided to open her own fresh juice bar — Freshness in a Bottle — in mid-May.
"My main goal is, of course, that they have the nutrients in it but I want them to taste good," Dias said. "Because I've had a lot of juices that are so good for you but I really didn't like the taste."
Freshness in a Bottle specializes in cold-pressed juices, smoothie bowls, enhanced waters and cold-pressed almond milks.
Dias develops all the recipes and keeps them free of preservatives. Dias said she also does not add any water to her juices.
"If you're drinking your juice, you want to have all the nutrients in it and not just a quarter of what you would get and then put water in it," Dias said.
Dias uses glass bottles and tries to operate with as little waste as possible. For example, some waste after juicing kale will be breakfast for the farm pigs tomorrow.
When asked what motivates her to be a young entrepreneur, Dias said, "I want to help people around me because I know that a lot of people really like my stuff. So if I just don't show up, then it's not going to be good because then how are people going to get their acai bowls?"
Freshness in a Bottle is open every day in downtown Stillwater from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. The juices can also be found at Eagle Eye Farm's store.
Freshness in a Bottle
125 S Main Street
Stillwater, MN 55082