Today we’d like to introduce you to Richard Totimeh.
Hi Richard, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start, maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
My best friend Nick and his gracious mother are into organic eating, and more than a decade ago, they introduced me to juicing when I would go by their apartment in Brooklyn, NY. I would fall in love with juicing as I loved the natural taste of fresh fruit and veggies. Coincidentally there was a small Caribbean juice bar across the street from their building thus, every time I would go visit I would grab a juice. I eventually bought my own juicer and left it in the breakroom of my job so I can juice for the entire office. It was there I saw the positive responses and energy from my fellow coworkers, who some actually offered to pay me to make juice for them each week. It was a fun hobby for me, so I did not see it as something I should charge people for. The thing about juicing is that I was not consistent with the process because it takes a lot of work, and my schedule was very busy.
Fast forward eight years later, I had already moved out of the great NYC and resided in the great city of Atlanta. The pressure and stress of success, buying a home, and my job and running a tax business, along with unhealthy habits, began to take a toll on my health. April 2018, after experiencing trouble breathing and coughing large amounts of blood, I was taken to the hospital where they discovered I had acute congestive heart failure. A valve was damaged, which caused the backflow of blood into my lungs. The levels by which blood pumps to the rest of my body was below normal. I was in the hospital for five days with many tests ran and after going to a second hospital for a second opinion, I was placed on six medications. I was given four months to strengthen my heart, or surgery may have been an option to be considered. Unbeknownst to the doctors and nurse practitioners, I refused to take all of the medications except two. I decided I wanted a more holistic approach to get healthier. I began cutting off the alcohol and lessened my meat intake and juiced cold press juice every single day for three months straight.
I felt tremendously better than I did in years and took my echo exam four months later in August 2018. To the surprise of the doctors and nurse practitioners, my levels went back to normal in such a short period of time. I used social media as a way to showcase the juices I prepared, and more and more people would inquire if I was selling the juice. I sought therapy to examine how I became sick and how to balance life better, and I realized my true purpose in life was to help others become healthier through juicing. I formed Juice Champs in September 2018. I worked on my craft, recipes, product development and officially launched online Jan 1st, 2021, to the public. We are opening our first brick-and-mortar Juice cafe in Kennesaw, GA, this summer.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
It has been an exciting road as I have given away hundreds of bottles of juice just to get feedback over the course of two years. The biggest hurdle was the fact that my job took so much of my time that the process of launching the company took a long time and customers were waiting so long to be ordered to place orders because of their initial positive feedback from the juices they tried.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Juice Champs?
Juice Champs is a cold press juice company operating out of Atlanta, GA. We offer delivery to most areas of metro Atl along with shipping to GA, AL, TN, SC at the moment. We will be opening our first flagship location in Kennesaw, GA in the Shiloh shopping center this summer 2021.
The taste and quality of our juices are a huge hit due to the combination of ingredients on our menu. Our branding, energy, and marketing separates us from the normal juice company. We encourage not just a healthier lifestyle but bring a fun and team environment to bring the confidence to our customers to continue on whichever journey in life they want to pursue. We also educate customers on how juicing affects the mental aspect of their daily lives creating an overall mind and body balance.
Alright, so before we go, can you talk to us a bit about how people can work with you, collaborate with you or support you?
We can be reached at info@juicechampsatl.com. We check our emails throughout the day and respond back within 24 hours.
Contact Info:
- Email: info@juicechampsatl.com
- Website: www.juicechampsatl.com
- Instagram: @juicechamps
- Facebook: @juicechampsatl.com
