ReFresh Food Co. strives to provide food and drinks that are not only delicious but health-conscious as well. It is a place where you can come and study or work while you eat or just hang out with friends and family in a comfortable setting.
Our realization of the strong connection between food and health started a long time ago with the birth of our first child. Like any new parents, we obsessed over the health and well-being of our baby and in our case, it was a little bit more so, because our daughter was born five-weeks premature.
Around this time we began to learn about genetically modified food and how it could negatively impact health and so we started to change the way we ate. The difference in taste alone was enough for us, but noticing the change in the way we felt kept us going with it.
At the time it was difficult to find organic or non-GMO food in the grocery stores, let alone restaurants, but we did our best to maintain this way of life. As our kids got older we saw that although the food industry was catching on to the benefits and the demand of the people for clean food, the options out there were still minimal. Our desire for quality food was there and in time the opportunity to be able to provide such a place for other people to enjoy would come to us.
Things really got started when we were hired by one of the first açai shops to open in Palm Beach County. I became manager, and within a year I was helping to open the first franchise right here in Gainesville. What was supposed to be a temporary position turned into a more permanent job, and I ran the restaurant as the General Manager for a few years.
When the owner left the franchise, I left to manage the Bagel Bakery, another Gainesville staple. Although I enjoyed my time there, when the opportunity to buy the açai shop came up, we jumped on it. We already knew the business inside and out and knew we could make it better. We had visions of providing a place that would merge healthy with delicious.
Many restaurants claim to be “healthy” but upon closer inspection, the quality of the ingredients used and their practices show otherwise. ReFresh’s items are made fresh, daily and in-house, with non-gmo or organic ingredients.All our food is created with health and performance in mind. In addition, we place an emphasis on using eco-friendly materials and packaging.
We love connecting with other local businesses and supporting the Gainesville community which is why we source locally when possible, because as a small family owned company we appreciate what it means to be a small and independent business and know how important it is to have the support of our local community.
The internet has allowed the world to connect globally and that is a wonderful thing but our local connections are being forgotten, we want to remind people that community is important and we will lead by example. We are proud to be a part of Gainesville and the Gator Nation community; if we were anywhere else we would not be able to work with our one-of-a-kind local vendors who provide us the fresh quality ingredients we use in creating our menu.
Our University of Florida student population is a big thing for us and we enjoy helping support different student organizations through sponsorships and donations. Many of the organizations and events we have helped sponsor or donated to have come to our attention through the student population. It is great to see our future leaders in action.
Apart from the students, Gainesville itself still harbors a small-town feel; it’s the best of both worlds. We have lived all over Florida and the environment we have here is unique, it has helped to mold our actions as a business.Our hope and goal is to grow and expand from more than a restaurant into a full-fledged food company, providing quality food to Gainesville and beyond.
