The Dripping Root is a cold-pressed juice bar built from a passion of positive energy with the goal to break down the barriers between health, wellness and culture. Here, founder Catiesha Pierson chats with us about her passion for bringing Black-owned healthful options to the Twin Cities, how she hopes Dripping Root will ultimately impact the community and more.
Have you always had a passion for food, health and wellness?
I have always had a passion for visual art and, as I’ve gotten older, have started to feel a passion for design and food. I see recipes and food as a different form of creating. The flavors, herbs, and different colors of fruits and veggies are beautiful and inspiring to me. In 2011, I became very interested in the way certain foods affect the body and help promote healing, which is an understanding that is very important in life.
Why did you decide to launch the Dripping Root?
I started Dripping Root based on my own passion for juicing, health and wellness. I realized that there was a lack of healthful options in the Twin Cities and even more so a lack of Black-owned healthful options. I started with nothing but plastic cups and a handheld label maker, posting my juices on Facebook and doing deliveries while being a single mother and working a full-time job. Word of mouth eventually made it so that I couldn’t keep up with the orders using only my personal juicer.
I always knew my end goal was to have a juice bar that would be a safe space where everyone could feel welcome. A place where everyone gets treated equally and can share a beautiful space enjoying a nice juice or smoothie bowl. None of this would have been possible without our community, my day one supporters, my mother and the strength of not giving up.
Photography provided by The Dripping Root
What is your favorite item on the menu?
This is a tough question, and I get asked it often. To make something taste good is a science, and because I developed the recipes through the process of trial and error, I was able to create the perfect flavor combinations that I felt were pleasing to the taste buds. So I would have to say everything on the menu is my favorite.
How do you hope the Dripping Root impacts the Twin Cities community?
My goal is to break the lines between health, wellness and culture. My hope is that Dripping Root impacts the community by bringing people together in a judgement-free place that inspires happiness, positivity and healthier choices. When you feel good, you glow different. We all win when we all win.
Do you have any advice for aspiring entrepreneurs?
My advice for aspiring entrepreneurs is to always believe in yourself. At all times, you’ll have to be your biggest cheerleader. There will be people who won’t see your vision, and that is OK. The dream you have is your dream. Be OK having tunnel vision and do everything with a positive outlook. Take risks, stay in your own lane, and never give up on yourself. Anything is possible.
