Opening just six months before the pandemic hit, Hintonburg fruit juice store, Juice Dudez, has seen some tough days — but now, two years later, things are looking just peachy.
The business was founded by 26-year old entrepreneur Nasr Nasr, who saw a gap in Ottawa’s market for “fresh juices, smoothies and high-end chocolate desserts,” he says. As well as selling juice — created from local fruit, whenever possible — Juice Dudez offers a range of desserts like waffles and crêpes, drizzled with melted Belgian chocolate.
Nasr grew up farming fruits and vegetables in Lebanon, which his father would sell or trade. Nasr always enjoyed the work, but “when you grow up in a household that owns a small business, it’s quite stressful,” he says.
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Encouraged by his family to get a more stable job, Nasr enrolled in an engineering school, kick-starting his classes in Lebanon. In May 2017, he decided to move to Ottawa to continue studying — but the motivation didn’t last. “When I was 21, 22, I was always just like, ‘this is not my thing. I was born to be an entrepreneur, this is inevitable,’” Nasr says.
Leaving school behind, Nasr took on any gig he could find, from pizza deliveries to dish-washing. Eventually, he landed a sales job, working on commission for a company in the financial industry. While the job was challenging at first, he says, “the potential of how much you make is basically unlimited. The harder you work, the better you do.”
To save up enough money to open his own business, Nasr says he worked seven days a week for two years. “I was able to save a few bucks, and I basically used all of it (to open Juice Dudez),” he says. “I did not borrow any money — it was only my savings.”
Juice Dudez opened its doors in September 2019. In its first six months, Nasr says, the business was losing a few thousand dollars per month. “Then when COVID hit, the loss was even bigger — it was horrible.”
Nasr recalls one particularly difficult evening in March 2020, working alone in the store. “I was only able to sell $70 worth of product,” he says. “It was a Friday night — it was insane.”
But Nasr quickly pivoted to stay afloat, upping his marketing budget and negotiating rates with third-party delivery apps like Uber. “It’s a 30% fee that they charge, but we were able to bring it down a little,” he says.
Nasr adds that, as well as this, he tweaked his menu a little: pre-COVID-19, Juice Dudez put a lot of effort into food presentation. Knowing his products now had to travel, he and his team changed up the food design to make them more travel-proof — while still being visually-appealing.
“One mantra I like to follow in businesses is: you invest in your business when you need the money the most,” Nasr says.
And it worked: today, Juice Dudez has 12 staff members, up from just four at the start of the pandemic. Nasr says he receives regular offers from investors, and already has the funds to launch a potential corporate branch, should Juice Dudez start franchising.
“It started very rough, and very small, but the sky is literally the limit,” he says.
The Bright Side of Business is an editorial feature focused on sharing positive stories of business success.
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