Village Juice & Kitchen

What Village Juice & Kitchen does

Village Juice & Kitchen (legal entity VJCo, Inc.) is a privately held, health-focused fast-casual restaurant and juice-bar chain founded in 2015 and headquartered in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. The company operates 7 retail locations across North Carolina and South Carolina — three standalone stores (Stratford Towers in Winston-Salem, Glenwood Place in Raleigh, Optimist Hall in Charlotte) and four university campus sites (University of South Carolina, Elon University, High Point University, Wake Forest University) — under a unified concept centered on cold-pressed juices, house-made nut milks, smoothies, bowls, wraps, toasts, breakfast items, kids' items, and a plant-based dessert sub-brand called Billy Cakes. Its production backbone is a hydraulic cold-press juicing method that delivers a 72-hour shelf life without pasteurization or preservatives, with each bottle containing 2–4 pounds of fresh local produce. The company sells juice cleanses in three tiers ($54–$63/day) and bulk half-gallon juices ($32–$44), supported by an iOS/Android loyalty app powered by Incentivio.

The business model combines five revenue streams: direct retail food and beverage sales (the primary driver), corporate and private event catering (via Toasttab and EzCater, with a dedicated catering director), franchise and licensing fees (the company is authorized to grant franchises in 27+ US states and operates as a premier brand within Aramark's Harvest Table Culinary Group), wholesale grab-and-go distribution through campus convenience stores and Billy Cakes wholesale accounts, and direct e-commerce via website and mobile app. Customer segments are horizontal: health-conscious individual consumers, college and university campuses (institutional), corporate/private event clients, and wholesale/retail partners. Go-to-market is a blend of owned retail, digital direct-to-consumer, B2B catering, and franchise/licensing — with the Aramark relationship as the strategic anchor for non-organic growth.

Village Juice is at an early-growth stage. Capital raised to date includes an SEC Form D exempt debt securities offering filed in March 2022 for up to $1.5M (with $312,500 sold as of filing) and an earlier raise of ~$224,990 in April 2021. Headcount is reported at 51–100. The company's strategic posture is regional consolidation in NC/SC combined with franchise- and Aramark-mediated national expansion into higher-education and institutional dining. No revenue, same-store-sales, or unit-economics figures are disclosed, and the founder/CEO is not named in the source material.

Name

Village Juice & Kitchen

Legal name

VJCo, Inc. d/b/a Village Juice & Kitchen

Website

https://villagejuicecompany.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Village Juice & Kitchen is a Winston-Salem, NC-based fast-casual chain operating 7 locations across NC and SC that sells cold-pressed juices, cleanses, bowls, and plant-based desserts (Billy Cakes) to health-conscious consumers, university campuses, and corporate caterers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Health-Focused Fast-Casual Restaurant

NAICS

Limited-Service Restaurants (722513), Beverage Manufacturing (3121), Soft Drink Manufacturing (312111)

SIC

Beverages (2080), Bottled & Canned Soft Drinks & Carbonated Waters (2086), Food And Kindred Products (2000)

akta.pro primary industry

Juice Bars & Cold-Pressed Juice Shops (THAFAKAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Smoothie & Protein Shake Bars (THAFAKAB), Health-Focused Cafes (Organic/Vegan/Wellness) (THAFADAL)

Keywords

• Cold-pressed juices
• Fast-casual restaurants
• Plant-based desserts
• Juice cleanses
• Healthy meal options

Headquarters

HQ city

Winston Salem

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices8 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Retail Food & Beverage Sales: Direct-to-consumer sales of cold-pressed juices, smoothies, salad bowls, wraps, toasts, breakfast items, nut milks, Billy Cakes desserts, coffee, and kombucha across 7 retail locations and online ordering. This is the primary revenue driver.
2. Catering Services: Corporate and private event catering offering breakfast, lunch, snacks, and desserts for events. Orders placed through Toasttab and EzCater platforms, managed by dedicated catering director Jurga. Currently serving Winston-Salem, Raleigh, and Charlotte markets.
3. Franchise & Licensing Fees: Revenue from franchisee fees (franchise model) and license fees from Aramark's Harvest Table Culinary Group campus locations and other licensed operators. Village Juice is positioned as a preferred brand within the Aramark campus food service network with high demand but limited supply.
4. Wholesale Retail Distribution: Wholesale distribution of grab-and-go meals and products through college campus convenience stores. Billy Cakes wholesale program also distributes plant-based desserts to third-party establishments.
5. SEC Exempt Securities Offering: VJCo, Inc. filed a Form D with the SEC for an exempt securities offering of debt securities totaling $1.5 million (with $312,500 already sold as of March 2022). This represents an investor capital raise rather than operating revenue.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Village Juice & Kitchen operates fast-casual restaurants that prepare and sell cold-pressed juices, nut milks, smoothies, salad bowls, grain bowls, wraps, toasts, breakfast items, kids' menu items, and coffee/kombucha in-house using raw, unprocessed, locally-sourced ingredients. The company also offers multi-day juice cleanse programs, half-gallon bulk juice, catering services, a plant-based dessert sub-brand (Billy Cakes), and franchise/licensing opportunities through its parent relationship with Aramark's Harvest Table Culinary Group.

Product overview

Village Juice & Kitchen is a health-focused fast-casual restaurant chain operating on a unified restaurant model. The core offering centers on cold-pressed juices and fresh prepared foods, all crafted in-house using raw, unprocessed ingredients sourced from local farmers. The product portfolio includes: cold-pressed juices and nut milks (the foundational product line), smoothies and smoothie bowls, salad and grain bowls, wraps, toasts, breakfast items, and kids' options. A signature sub-brand, Billy Cakes, provides raw vegan desserts and baked goods. The company offers add-on products including multi-day juice cleanses (Hydrating, Classic, Super Detox tiers) and half-gallon bulk juice. Service offerings encompass catering for corporate events and private gatherings, plus a franchise program for expansion. A proprietary mobile app enables online ordering with loyalty rewards. All items are made fresh daily with an emphasis on plant-based, gluten-free, and allergen-conscious options.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Billy Cakes: Raw, vegan, dairy-free plant-based desserts and baked goods created by former NHL player Bill Morris. Includes bars, cheesecakes, muffins, and baked goods.
• Village Juice (Licensed Brand)

Products and services

• Cold-Pressed Juices Freshly cold-pressed juices made using hydraulic cold-press method that preserves nutrients and extends shelf life to 72 hours. Includes varieties like Black Magic, Game Changer, Orchard, Feisty Rabbit, Pipe Dreams, and many others. Each bottle contains 2-4 pounds of fresh, local farm produce.
• Nut Milks House-made cold-pressed nut milks including varieties like Blender Bender, Brainwaves, Coffee Bender, Golden Milk, and Majik Milk.
• Smoothies & Smoothie Bowls Blended beverages and bowls including Acai Bowl, Coco-Nut-Butter Bowl, Sunset Bowl, and smoothies like Curious George, Green Coco, and Mint Chip.
• Salad Bowls & Grain Bowls Fresh made-to-order salads and grain bowls including Endless Summer Salad, Hot Honey Chicken Salad, Mediterranean Bowl, Southwest Bowl, and build-your-own options.
• Wraps Handheld wraps including Southwest Chicken Wrap, Chicken Bacon & Avocado Wrap, Mediterranean Wrap, and Chicken Salad Wrap.
• Toasts House-made toast options including Avo Vegan, Bacon Basil Tomato, Nut Butter & Banana, and Poached Pear & Goat Cheese.
• Breakfast Items Morning offerings including Sunrise Chia Parfait, Early Bird Burrito, Quit Your Job Burrito, Power Play Breakfast Sandwich, and Overnight Oats.
• Kids Menu Child-friendly options including Avo Toast, Nut-Butter Banana, Fresh Fruit Bowl, Egg & Cheese Burrito, and kid-sized smoothies like Mango Tango and Pinky Swear.
• Coffee & Kombucha Local coffee and kombucha available at select locations. Offerings vary by Village location.
• Billy Cakes Raw, vegan, and dairy-free plant-based desserts and baked goods created by former pro hockey player Bill Morris. Includes bars (Boss Bar, OMG Bar), sweets (Blonde Brownie, Nanaimo Bars, Cheesecakes), muffins, and baked goods.
• Juice Cleanses Multi-day juice cleanse programs offered in three tiers: Hydrating ($54-$58/day), Classic ($60/day), and Super Detox ($63/day). Each includes a daily regimen of cold-pressed juices and immunity shots.
• Bulk Juice

Quantifiable outcome

• 2–4 pounds of fresh, local farm produce per juice bottle
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Aramark (Harvest Table Culinary Group)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVillage Juice is a premier brand within Aramark's Harvest Table Culinary Group, and a preferred brand in the Aramark stable of brands generally. This relationship provides access to hundreds of college campuses nationally where Village Juice is positioned as a solution for convenient, healthy, delicious meal options. The company reports high demand but limited supply of such options, making this a flagship strategic channel.
• ToasttabcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorVillage Juice uses Toasttab as its catering ordering and management platform for the Winston-Salem (Stratford Towers) and Raleigh (Glenwood Place) locations. Catering customers place orders through Toasttab to configure orders and schedule catering deliveries for corporate and private events.
• EzCatercoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorVillage Juice uses EzCater as its catering ordering platform for the Charlotte (Optimist Hall) location. Corporate and private event catering orders are placed through the EzCater platform for the Charlotte market.
• IncentiviocoreTechnology or IntegrationVillage Juice's online ordering, payment processing, and gift card systems are powered by the Incentivio platform. The company references IncentivIO's terms of service for all payment transactions, and the platform is used across all locations for direct consumer ordering.
• Apple App StorecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorVillage Juice distributes its mobile ordering and loyalty app (Village Juice Kitchen App) through the Apple App Store for iPhone users, enabling direct-to-consumer digital commerce and engagement.
• Google Play StorecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorVillage Juice distributes its Android mobile app (Village Juice Kitchen App) through the Google Play Store, enabling Android users to download the app for ordering and loyalty rewards.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Sweetgreen: National healthy fast-casual chain focused on salads and grain bowls with limited beverage program. Comparable health-focused positioning and digital/loyalty infrastructure, but much larger scale and broader menu focus.
• Salad and Go: Drive-thru salad and wrap concept rapidly expanding across the Southwest. Comparable health-focused fast-casual positioning and tech-enabled ordering, though Village Juice emphasizes juice cleanses and Aramark channel partnerships.

Direct peers

• Clean Juice: Certified organic juice bar franchise with 100+ U.S. units emphasizing cold-pressed juice, smoothies, cleanses, and health-focused food. Closely comparable to Village Juice in core menu, target customer (health-conscious consumers), and franchise-led growth model.
• Jamba: National smoothie and juice chain with franchise and company-owned stores. Comparable in core product (smoothies, juices, bowls) and franchise-led growth, though Village Juice emphasizes cold-press juicing more heavily.
• Smoothie King: Largest U.S. smoothie franchise chain with 1,000+ units. Comparable in smoothie/juice menu and franchise model, though positioned more around smoothies than cold-pressed juice cleanses.
• Robeks: Smoothie and juice franchise with ~100 U.S. units focused on fruit smoothies, fresh juices, and acai bowls. Closely comparable to Village Juice's smoothie/juice/açai bowl menu and franchise model.
• Pressed Juicery: National cold-pressed juice brand with retail stores and grocery/freezer pack distribution. Directly comparable on cold-pressed technology, juice cleanse programs, and health-and-wellness positioning.
• Tropical Smoothie Cafe: Fast-growing U.S. smoothie and food franchise with 1,000+ units. Comparable in franchise-driven expansion, smoothie/juice offerings, and broader health-focused menu including bowls and wraps.

Emerging players

• Crisp & Green: Fast-growing healthy fast-casual concept offering salads, grain bowls, cold-pressed juices, and smoothies. Comparable in health-focused menu spanning meals and beverages; smaller footprint than Village Juice's partner-supported model.
• Playa Bowls: East Coast-origin acai bowl, smoothie, and juice franchise with rapid multi-state expansion. Comparable in smoothie/juice/bowl menu and franchise-led growth strategy.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks2 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/villagejuicecompany
• Instagraminstagram.com/villagejuice
• TikTokinstagram.com/villagejuice
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/village-juice-company

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds3 records

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Village Juice & Kitchen