Independence Nutrition offers healthy, tasty options at new locale

by Dan Holland

Independence Nutrition, which offers a wide variety of Herbalife Nutrition drinks, opened Feb. 27 at 7081 Brecksville Road. The business is part of a chain with sister locations in Shaker Heights and Cleveland’s West Park neighborhood.

Owners John and Mitzi Long became aware of the business opportunity last year after their oldest son was placed on a liquid diet following jaw surgery.

“We were introduced to the products at the Shaker Heights location and we both had great health results,” explained Mitzi. “All the products are less than 1% dairy, and our younger son is allergic to dairy, so it became a family place for us to go. We decided to enter into the business as distributors and then we opened our own location.”

Some of the more popular-selling drinks include mega teas, iced coffees and shakes.

“We have over 80 shakes to choose from,” she continued. “Our teas are complementary with our shakes, so it’s a tea and shake combo. Our mega teas have B-12 vitamins for energy and beauty-booster collagen for hair, skin and nails. That’s in addition to our metabolism-burning teas with aloe, which is great for digestive health.”

The family-oriented business includes a number of the Long’s family members, including their children, who help run the shop.

“We just like to have fun and laugh, and we treat our customers with respect and dignity,” said John. “I know all of our customers by name – even with their masks on.”

The Longs hope the business will become a gathering place for the community where students can stop after school and business people can feel welcome during the day, according to Mitzi. They also plan to engage in a number of community events.

“We definitely want to schedule some fundraisers to help the schools and other area businesses,” she explained. “Once COVID restrictions are lifted, we’ll probably host some events on special days like Mother’s Day and Father’s Day. We’re looking ahead to a time when COVID restrictions will be lifted so that we’ll be able to hold community events here.”

The shop provides a friendly atmosphere where customers can play board games and engage in other social activities, according to John.

“It’s a healthy place to go to get a dessert-tasting snack,” he said. “[The shakes] are actually a meal replacement, and it’s all healthy. The environment is healthy, and our customer service is fun and inviting. We have bike racks for the kids and TVs for sports highlights. It’s very family friendly and just a great place to engage and come hang out. We’re also dog friendly.”

The shop follows all COVID-19 protocols and offers curbside pickup for customers who call ahead. The business also offers free tea drop-offs to area businesses as available.

“If a business reaches out to us and would like to have some free teas dropped off for their employees, we’re more than happy to do that and introduce them to healthy living,” said Mitzi. ∞