Married business partners Pam Vivio, left, and Mijo Alanis founded Beyond Juicery + Eatery in 2005 in Michigan.
This article is part of “Where Are They Now?”—an ongoing series in which Franchise Times managing editor Emilee Wentland and reporter Alyssa Huglen catch up with emerging brands.
Repeat customers are at the heart of Beyond Juicery + Eatery’s sales growth, CEO and founder Mijo Alanis said.
“Repeat customers are liking what they’re getting. They are getting good value and they believe in the brand,” Alanis said.
The brand’s systemwide sales increased by 6.1 percent last year to $35.8 million from its 45 units, most of which are in Michigan. Franchise restaurants averaged $875,352 in gross sales in 2023. There were 36 franchises open the entire year. The overall range was $473,332 to $1.5 million, according to Beyond’s franchise disclosure document. Alanis said Beyond has the supply chain capacity to expand its footprint down as far as Miami.
When Franchise Times last reported on the brand in 2021, Beyond Juicery had 33 units and just started franchising.
Alanis co-founded the juice and smoothie concept in 2005 with his business partner and wife, Pam Vivio, in Birmingham, Michigan. They noticed a trend of customers ordering healthier items like salads at restaurants and wanted to give Michiganders some more health-conscious options.
Since the franchise launch, Beyond has faced increased development and operating costs across the board. But those challenges turned into opportunities for the franchise to look inward and ask what costs the brand could absorb to help franchisees, Alanis said.
“We have made changes internally that the guests would not see, from how we make things, to better purchasing power and we’ve been able to lower our food costs,” he said.
Beyond also lowered labor costs with new systems in place to help franchisees. These changes resulted in improvements to the bottom line in the last 18 months.
Beyond Juicery + Eatery servers a selection of better-for-you smoothies, sandwiches, acai bowls and more.
“I know that one day this is going to be the franchise that everybody wants, because I know what the franchisees want now and we’ve been working on delivering that,” Alanis said.
Beyond’s repeat customers can join the company’s loyalty program though its app, which has proven beneficial for the brand and its customers, Alanis said.
Just over half of Beyond’s customers are enrolled in the loyalty program, he said.
“Then we can start to see trends and understand what our guests want and we’re able to talk to them and feel them out,” Alanis said. The franchise can also “understand where to put the next Beyond.”
The brand serves smoothies, acai bowls, sandwiches, wellness shots, juice and more.
“What are the customers asking for? They’re asking for visibility on the protein, visibility on calories, visibility on what’s inside the product and is it clean,” Alanis said. “Most of all, it has to taste good.”
Alanis’ favorite is a new breakfast burrito, which has variations with chicken sausage, bacon or avocado. “It is, I believe, the best breakfast burrito on the market right now,” he said. Having a role in creating the entire menu, though, Alanis said “each of them has a sentimental place in my heart.”
Beyond has a variety of low-sugar juices meant to provide certain benefits to the consumer. There’s “hydration hero” with watermelon, lime and mint; “complexion hero” with apple, lemon, greens and ginger; and “immunity hero” with apple, ginger, turmeric, black pepper and lemon.
“We have entered into some new spaces with functional smoothies for benefits. We’re really focusing on the benefits, what’s good for you,” Alanis said.
The initial investment range to open a Beyond franchise ranges from $416,191 to $532,168.
Just as Beyond’s loyal customers love the concept, franchisees need to have a passion for it, too.
“You have to believe in the product. You have to be the biggest cheerleader,” Alanis said. “You have to be a community supporter. You have to believe in your employees.”