Shautessia Woods has been peddling her handcrafted juice blends around the Pike Outlets in Long Beach since losing her job due to the pandemic in 2020. But her signature juice cart hasn’t been seen in the area since it was stolen last month.
Woods had already been making healthy smoothies for herself, and thought the community might enjoy her nutrient-rich concoctions as well. She then began experimenting with cold-pressing fruits and vegetables rather than blending them.
To create her brand, Woods combined her love of music and healthy juices. The name of her business, Intl (International) Players Juice, and each of her juice blends are named after Hip-Hop and R&B songs.
“In Long Beach, downtown in particular, there are a lot of juice bars,” Woods said. “So it had to be different […] I wanted to fuse two different things that I love: music and juice.”
Woods credits her parents for her passion for music, and told the Signal Tribune they constantly played music in their home while she grew up.
Her best-selling flavor is named after a 1994 hit song by Snoop Dogg. To create “Gin N Juice,” Woods cold-presses oranges, pineapples, turmeric and ginger to create a sweet yet healthy beverage.
For fans of green juices, “Kale You Stand The Rain” (a play on the 1988 song “Can You Stand The Rain” by New Edition) mixes kale, spinach, celery, cucumbers and apples.
But a major wrench has recently been thrown into Woods’ business plans. On Dec. 12, she learned that her customized juice cart had been stolen.
“It’s been great,” Woods said of her business before the theft. “The community has really supported me. It was great until somebody stole my juice cart last month.”
Woods said she had been keeping her cart at a secure and gated location. After a burglary, the owner of the property called Woods to inform her that someone had broken through the gate and her cart was gone.
“The cart is basically how I would sell, at pop-ups or just down at the Pike,” Woods said. “It was the juice cart; that’s how people saw it. So it’s stopping me from heading out, I don’t have anything to take juice in. The attraction is not there.”
Woods made a police report and began searching for her cart, walking around the area and driving to places she thought it may have been taken.
According to Woods, police said that due to the unique look of her cart, the thieves most likely would sell it for parts or strip the vinyl wrapping off of it.
The custom-made vinyl wraps on her cart depicted juice cartons with faces wearing backwards hats, a heart formed from illustrations of different vegetables and the iconic quote, “You Got The Juice Now,” from the 1992 film “Juice” starring Tupac Shakur and Omar Epps.
When fellow small business owner Kerrina Sanchez found out about the theft, she set up a GoFundMe campaign to help Woods replace her cart. As of Jan. 5, the online campaign has raised $2,840 of its $4,500 goal.
Other community members offered Woods the use of their carts, and she also received a donation of new vinyl wraps for her future cart.
“They’ve really stepped up and it’s beyond my wildest dreams,” Woods said.
To keep up with Intl Players Juice, follow @intlplayersjuice. Those who want to donate to the GoFundMe campaign for Woods can visit https://www.gofundme.com/f/supporting-one-of-our-own-small-business-owners.
