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“I got fiveee on it,” Roberto Brooks sang as he put the lid on an almond milk, peanut butter, banana, strawberry and honey smoothie.
“Sometimes he’ll sing when he hands customers their smoothies,” Shamika Brooks, his wife and business partner, said.
Together the couple own Hip-Hop Smoothies, which consists of a storefront in northwest Charlotte, a smoothie trailer and a food truck. Their entrepreneurship journey began with an auspicious start — in 2018 when Roberto was laid off from his corporate job. The Brooks saw this as an opportunity to create a business they could pass down to their children while simultaneously getting their kids involved in entrepreneurship.
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Why Smoothies?
Roberto and their children always loved good smoothie, but Shamika wasn’t a fan because of the milky base. That’s when they decided to do some research and work on the recipes to create dairy-free smoothies that anyone could enjoy.
“We found out that most smoothie places didn’t use real fruit, and they added a lot of ice,” Shamika said. “In our smoothies, you get at least two cups of fruit, and we only have ice in one of our smoothies.”
Among their 13 varieties and two detox options, Shamika favors the Gin & Juice, which has peaches, mango, banana, orange juice, turmeric and ginger powder — but no alcohol.
The Vibe
“We both really love music. We love Jay Z, we love Biggie and Tupac, and we wanted to make it fun,” Shamika said when asked how the couple decided on the restaurant’s name and vibe. Hip hop is in every aspect of the business — from the art on the walls and floor done by local artists to the name of each smoothie, like Gangsta’s Paradise and Rapper’s Delight. There’s even a DJ booth that plays old-school hip hop all day long.
“We get every type of person in here, from people in their 80s to young kids,” Shamika said. “Our product goes with anybody. People just come in singing and rapping.”
What’s Next?
Since opening the smoothie trailer in 2018, the Brooks decided they’d do something different to add on to the business each year. So they a storefront in 2019 and a food truck in 2020.
So what now, in 2021?
“Overhead for storefronts are high, so we’d love to expand with trucks in different market areas like Florida, Georgia, maybe Myrtle Beach,” she said.
About Hip-Hop Smoothies
- Website: hiphopsmoothies.com
- Hours: Tuesday – Friday 11am-7pm; Saturday: 11-6pm
- Address: 249 Mt. Holly-Huntersville Road, Suite 210, Charlotte NC 28214
- Phone: 980-938-6702
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A couple's love of hip hop and healthy smoothies turned into a thriving business - Qcity metro
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