A downtown natural: Local entrepreneurs launch juice cafe

The pandemic contributed to many restaurants closing in Columbus, among them Indiana Smokehouse, Joe Willy’s Burger Bar, Le Petit Caraibes and Lincoln Square, to name a few.

But as spring settles in, a healthier food and beverage alternative has just opened on the north side of downtown Columbus.

The Nifty Beet, a juice cafe featuring cold-pressed juices and healthy treats, opened late last week at 901 Washington St. in the space formerly occupied by Moonshowers.

Nifty Beet co-owner Kirby Luigs says she has confidence that the worst of the pandemic is now behind us. Her partner, Hartsville native Ross Keller, say he and Luigs don’t think in terms of whether it’s the right or wrong time to open a juice bar.

“Every entrepreneur has to jump through both small and large hurdles, but if something is worth doing, nothing should stop you from doing it,” said Keller, who added he believes Columbus will patronize the juice cafe.

Their timing is almost perfect. The Nifty Beet opened just a few weeks before employees at Cummins are scheduled to return to their downtown offices on April 4.

“We’re certainly hoping the diverse cultures found in Columbus will be a key demographic for us,” Keller said. “We have ‘grab and go’ juices that people can preorder and pick up on their lunch break.”

In addition, Keller and Luigs are hoping that bicyclists, runners and walkers who enjoy the People Trail in Mill Race, Noblitt and Donner parks will make their juice cafe a regular refreshment stop.

For those who question where the unique name was referenced, Keller and Luigs said half of their healthy juices are from beets and half are from carrots, and they weren’t sure how “carrot” sounded in the name. “Nifty” is a reference to “clean” ingredients, they said.

A 2006 graduate of Hauser High School, Keller used to write columns for The Republic in his former position of education coordinator at the Bartholomew County Solid Waste Management District.

But when offered an opportunity to travel, Keller took advantage of it. For a number of years, he helped a business partner operating a kombucha tea factory in south Florida, he said.

“I received some pretty extensive sales experience by visiting a variety of health food establishments and trying to pitch our product,” Keller said.

Keller and Luigs have tailored their eating habits to consuming healthy food items for several years and have faith in what they are selling, Luigs said.

The two took possession of the leased retail space at the northeast corner of Ninth and Washington streets last November. Both encountered a number of unexpected construction setbacks as they spent the next four months creating the entire decor themselves, Keller said.

But now that they are open for businesses, the next step will be to convince skeptics that healthy food can be delicious, Luigs said.

“We are using a lot of fresh and dried fruit that is sweet and delicious,” she said. “We make delicious desserts that we believe taste great, as well as a really good salad.”

”Instead of using cheaper methods, such as the big chain stores that put in processed sugars and other unhealthy things, we use real maple syrup and dates for sweetening,” Keller said. “You don’t lose any flavor. We just use higher quality products.”

The co-owners emphasize that The Nifty Beet was never intended to be a big business model. Rather, it is an in-house operation making small batches of high-quality beverages and treats.

“We strive for organic and locally-grown produce,” Keller said. “We are also prepared to answer questions about leading a healthy lifestyle.”