MadeFresh Organic - Healing Through Healthy Juices

Writing by Danielle Silverman

For Juliana Rivera, it all started with a visit to a local emergency room. She’d been working in the medical field for 21 years, taking care of people, working two jobs, and not taking care of herself. After emergency surgery, her doctor explained she would not be able to return to work for 8 months.

Juliana Rivera at Queens Day in Albany 2022

As a single mom with a son, Lance, she knew 8 months away from work was not feasible. She started to think, “What can I do to heal myself to get back to work more quickly?” She used her time at home to study nutrition and to see if she could help herself feel better faster.

Juliana is a living, breathing example of ‘necessity being the mother of invention.’ “I stumbled upon fresh organic juices.” Due to her health, she couldn’t be out and about, so her son would go to the organic store and get all the fruits and vegetables she needed. “I started juicing for myself. Every day, every single day I would make fresh juices.”

In three weeks, Juliana’s mobility improved and she felt more energetic as she walked around her house. “My energy was through the roof.” Four months and one week after surgery she was back at work at her medical office. So much for 8 months as her doctor had said. Juliana believes it was the juices that returned her to health so quickly.

Incredibly she lost 85 pounds and when Juliana walked into the office, her coworkers didn’t recognize her. When she explained how she had lost the weight and got back to work more quickly, her colleagues started calling Juliana’s juice, “Miracle Juice.”

Juliana loved how she felt as well as the juicing process. She juiced every day and brought her homemade juices to her office. Soon, her colleagues began to drink the juices too. “Everybody was juicing, and I liked that, I liked their faces. I liked to see the way they were talking about it and how it made them feel.”

The idea for a business hit her in 2016. MadeFresh Organic was born, a mother-son small business in the heart of Queens, where Juliana has lived since 2003.

While MadeFresh Organic started in New York, the business owes a lot to Juliana’s grandfather in St. Lucia. Her grandparents had a garden in the backyard. “Everything you want, you just go out to the garden and get it. When I decided to create the brand, I took my mind all the way back to St. Lucia and my grandfather’s garden.”

As she concocts her juices, she visualizes she is in the garden. For example, as a young girl, her grandmother would make delicious fresh lemonade, with a nice little kick. So today, her lemonade is spicy.

Juliana sells her products online from her website at www.MadefreshOrganic.com and you can find her on Instagram at officialmadefreshorganic. She also sets up at local farmer’s markets, including one in Laurelton. She noticed people buying a mix of different juices, so she started doing a grab and go bag of six juices to make it easier for her customers. She loves getting feedback from people who have become healthier by drinking her products.

The Queens Chamber of Commerce has been important to her success. Juliana has attended three Queens Days in Albany, having a chance to share her story with state officials and other Queens businesspeople. Last June she attended the QCC Business Expo at Citi Field and looks forward to attending again this year.

Juliana Rivera at the Queens Chamber Business Expo at Citi Field

Laura Licona, the restaurant specialist from the QCC has been especially helpful to Juliana in promoting the business by interviewing her on her podcast, “Queens Best”, and featuring her in “This is Queensborough.”

Now, Juliana is dreaming big. In 5-10 years, she wants her juices to be worldwide. Judging from her energy, passion, and determination to succeed, the world better get ready!