Today we’d like to introduce you to Shannon Weston.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Shannon. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
Our story started with our family having the traditional American diet. Both my husband and I grew up eating processed and fast food as our primary food group. 🙂 We had such a disconnect between thinking what we ate had any resulting impact on our bodies. I remember eating Cheetos and a Coke for dinner and thinking it was good for me because it was cheese (why by the way it might not be- LOL- and we also now know that cheese is not good for everyone). And that drinking a Coke would settle my stomach. Together, those provided zero nutritional value, and a fair amount of additives, colorings, and flavorings- but who was counting? 🙂 I was working in Corporate America at a job level that brought with it with a ton of responsibility and stress, while my husband was working very hard and had (and still does) a great career in Commercial Real Estate. We were too busy we thought to focus on cooking homemade meals and ate out constantly. We have four children, and while all were born healthy and happy, our third child had a number of quirky health issues. For example, he had a constant runny nose but no diagnosable environmental allergies. He had the worst eczema our pediatrician had seen and this was literally covering him from head to toe. His baby teeth grew in and were very fragile and crumbling. While we were grateful he was generally healthy, these quirks were annoying and painful to him. We took him from doctors to specialists and were offered prescriptions to alleviate the symptoms thankfully, but no one ever suggested that we look for the cause of these problems.
When he was about two, we had a friend who recommended Juice Plus. This was the beginning of our awakening to the fact that food matters. We saw an incredible improvement by adding in good solid nutrition from fruits and vegetables- and our whole family saw health benefits. The kids began to miss fewer days of school for being sick, and we saw our energy levels pick up. This small change inspired us to keep trying to learn all we could about food- we began eating organically, growing a garden, buying humanely raised meats. We started to read labels and not buy anything that had ingredients in it we could not recognize or pronounce. We saw great improvements and changes, but our son still occasionally experienced symptoms. This kiddo was always an amazing runner- he did he first 5K without stopping when he was three years old!
So, when he was eight years old, he finished another 5K, only to not be able to catch his breath for quite some time and he was very upset. He told us he had been experiencing some new symptoms, and his skin was flaring up again. We had a friend refer us to a local MD who in addition to her traditional practice, had a side practice in functional medicine We made an appointment and discovered when all the labs came back that he was deficient in many areas- magnesium, vitamins D and B-12, he had high antibody levels, and was extremely anemic. They referred us for further testing and it revealed he was celiac. When we got his lab results, we were in Hawaii and I looked over at him and he was shoving doughnuts in his mouth- and I remember thinking “This is going to be interesting” as the recommendation to achieve optimum health was a permanent gluten-free diet. Even though intimidating, we were so excited that we found the missing piece of the puzzle!
Our family jumped on board and well all switched to a gluten-free diet. Within four weeks of going gluten-free – his body rebounded quickly. His lab numbers came up to normal, and he felt amazing. All it took for him was a dietary change and some better nutrition and he was completely symptom-free. I often wonder what would have happened if we quit looking for the cause and only treated his symptoms? What would have been the long term impact on his health? Now he is thriving in every way, and we are so grateful.
But to rewind a bit, this all happened 12 years ago, so not many people were familiar with a gluten-free lifestyle. I was a pizza addict- and I remember finding one place that had gluten-free pizza. I was telling him “See, this will be great, we can still have pizza!” Then, we ate a slice and I thought “Oh no… this is NOT going to be OK ever!” It was gross, soggy, and had zero texture. Total pizza bummer. So, we then had to buckle down and learn how to make all of our favorite foods from scratch. It was a fun experiment all the time, and we actually got to be really good at it. Most of our friends would not be able to tell if our pizzas, cookies, and bread were GF- which was fun. But the most important thing was that came from this experience is that we became literally obsessed with good health from food. A person can go gluten-free to fill up on empty processed food- like potato chips and gluten-free cupcakes. While you might have removed a trigger, which is important, you still need to ask if you really helping yourself? Our bodies need clean food that has nutrients to fuel us! Food can be medicine, and this experience really taught us the value of that statement.
Fast forward, I was working at the highest level of my industry and was growing tired of traveling and working like an animal. The stress level was beyond healthy. With my husband’s full support, I decided to step out of my career and stay home for the first time in my life. While I enjoyed this time at home thoroughly, I could not stop thinking about starting a business of our own and using what we have learned to help others in their journey to regain their health. Our kids were ultimately the ones that pushed us into taking that leap and starting Vibe. Vibe Foods is definitely a family affair- our whole family is involved in one way or another.
Our mission is to provide delicious food that is amazing for your body! Our whole menu is gluten free and dairy free. We have smoothie bowls, acai bowls, wellness shots, local and organic kombucha on tap, an organic raw and cold-pressed juice line and juice cleanses, soft serve made with flax milk using only dates as the sweetener, organic bone broths, healthy superfood lemonades, loads of smoothies with super cool and clean ingredients, and amazing warm drinks like superfood coffees and lattes. We also have a really fun grab and go section with all products sourced to be made from the cleanest ingredients. An example of our grab and go selection would be paleo friendly chocolates sweetened only with honey, or our hydrogen infused water used for recovery and hydration. The jerky we sell is made from humanely raised animals that were grass fed and finished and super clean ingredients. We carefully curate our grab and go sections and we are super picky about all of the ingredients and want to give our customers the best of the best. We know first hand how powerful of an influence food can be on health.
We are also deeply committed to being sustainable. Our family has for many many years had an organic garden, composted (even a stint with vermiculture- which is composting with worms!), and recycled for years. We plant things to attract pollinators each year and have quite a variety now. We have zero dangerous chemicals in our home. Trying to bring that same mentality into our business is not easy, but it is so important to us. All of our packaging are carefully selected to be from highly recyclable materials and also recyclable- while the vast majority is made from PLA (plant starch) and compostable. We realized that we needed to do more as some of the compostable stuff was still ending up in a landfill, so we recently hired a commercial composting company to come and take away the used packaging to convert it into fuel and soil. We are always looking for more ways we can reduce our impact on our planet, and we are now down to just a very small percentage of our stuff going into the landfill. We have been ranked #1 out of almost 12K businesses using this waste company for sustainability based on the metrics of what they take away in each category. We are proud of that but want to keep finding new ways to improve.
Anyway, that is our story but it is just really beginning as we have only been open for 17 months. We are considering a second and third location as we speak. We are so happy to be able to bring delicious and yet extremely healthy and nourishing food to our VIbe Tribe.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
It has definitely been a struggle. My husband and I had worked so hard to save for retirement, and putting a big chunk of it on the line to try to launch a new concept is risky. I think all new businesses have that worry as they try to get rolling.
Obtaining healthy fresh and clean ingredients is super expensive and we try to keep our margins as low as possible so that our food is affordable and accessible.
Our choices in sustainable packaging also affect the bottom line as we could buy a spoon for as little as 1 penny but the ones we have selected cost 8 cents. The 7 cents does not seem like a big deal but multiplied by thousands of spoons, it makes a difference. So, finding the best way to keep our values and mission always at the forefront of our mind is a daily challenge. We do not want to compromise on our values.
Another unforeseen challenge is that our location in Lone Tree is perfect from a demographic standpoint, but our store location is very hidden. We can be out of sight and out of mind, so we have had to try to find creative ways to advertise.
But it is all made better by the fact that we have AMAZING loyal customers and a FANTASTIC team of employees who are passionate and committed to our values. We have a great Vibe Tribe.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Vibe Foods story. Tell us more about the business.
We are known for:
Delicious food made from super clean and fun ingredients. We serve freshly made acai bowls, smoothie bowls, organic bone broths, have an organic local kombucha on tap, wellness shots, superfood lemonades, healthy warm drinks like superfood coffees and lattes, healthy dairy-free soft serve sundaes, smoothies with cool ingredients, and more!
Our entire menu is gluten free and dairy free.
We are committed to being super sustainable- have been ranked #1 out of 12K businesses for the past six months based on metrics like how much is going into a landfill.
Providing amazing customer service is a priority. We love our customers and want them to feel great and energized when they leave Vibe. We also have a lot of very unusual ingredients- like adaptogenic mushrooms and grass-fed collagen- so we want to be able to take the time to explain and educate.
Having a super fun environment! We have staff and customers that are just awesome people so it makes having joy at work easy!
Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
I think in many cases you make your own good luck through hard work and keeping an eye open for the good possibilities. So much of what we perceive as luck is in my mind, actually the construction we put on events. If we are optimistic, we then view so many things like “good luck” and the opposite can be true. I know people who see every obstacle presented always as “bad luck.”
That being said, I feel that I have been very fortunate to have had some of the opportunities we have had as a family and have been in the right place at the right time more than a few times. So, I think that is mostly good luck!
Pricing:
- Most of our items are priced between $4-$9
Contact Info:
- Address: 9500 E Heritage Hills Circle #100
Lone Tree, CO 80124 - Website: www.lovevibefoods.com
- Phone: 3036621723
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: @vibefoodslonetree
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/vibefoodslonetree/
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