When I visit JRINK, a pressed juice store in Eastern Market, the first thing I notice is they have a sign for bulletproof coffee out front. Despite my copious consumption of coffee, I hadn’t considered caffeine belonged in a ‘wellness’ store—it was a welcome surprise.
JRINK’s mission, store manager Kate Murphy tells me as we sit in the store between baby pink walls and beside small plants, centers on supplying “cold pressed juice for life pressed people.”
“A lot of us are overworked,” she says of the residents of DC. Caffeine is a consideration for the Eastern Market location in particular, according to the website. It’s one of the many health and life conditions the store aims to remedy.
According to an interview with Project Entrepreneur, JRINK was founded by Shizu Okusa and Jennifer Ngai, who were then working at the World Bank and used juice to get nutrients while working at their desk for long hours.
When Murphy ed, JRINK was a small company. Now they have six stores in the DC area, she says, counting on her fingers. Everything is made locally, in Falls Church, and delivered overnight to maintain product freshness. While JRINK is now a large operation, Murphy says she feels they are still a neighborhood company.
Murphy got involved in the business after a quarter-life crisis. She was working in media when she resolved she wanted to work in a wellness company.
“[I was] thinking of companies I knew of in the area that made me happy in my leisure time,” she explains. And, she landed on JRINK—they had always responded to her Instagram comments, and it made her feel the store was about more than just juice. “I sent the most insane cover letter I’ve ever sent,” she laughs.
She started working part time, and as of eight months ago, she’s been working full time at the company—as a manager at the store as well as organizing events and partnerships.
While the health benefits of juice cleanses are controversial, the juices at JRINK pack a punch of nutrients. One of Murphy’s favorite drinks, for instance, is the “Fuel Me Up 2” which holds the nutritional equivalent of three salads in a bottle. And, despite its unappetizing color, her favorite drink for fun is Black Magic, which has activated charcoal in it.
JRINK aims to “provide you with peace of mind nutrition, so you enjoy a peace of mind life,” according to its mission statement. While they clarify on the site that they aren’t medical professionals, their efforts towards “wellness” are not just through their juices. They encourage customers to bring back their bottles for reuse and make an effort to source as many ingredients as they can locally.
JRINK Eastern Market (750 C St. SE) is open weekdays 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. and weekends from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Check out their menu on their website, or call the store at 202-751-8984.
