A Naperville mom has bought a local juice bar after being a frequent patron.
“This business has been a place where I can trust my daughter’s health,” said Maria Cortes, owner of Clean Juice Naperville.
Trips to juice bar started due to daughter’s diabetes diagnosis
Cortes says her life turned “upside down” one year ago when her then 10-year-old daughter, Pia, was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes.
“She has always been a picky eater, since a baby,” said Cortes, “and I was like, what am I gonna do? What am I gonna give her for dinner every single day?”
With a busy family schedule, including horseback riding lessons for Pia, Cortes said it was hard to always have a home-cooked meal.
“I do sports every day, like straight after school,” said Pia.
Clean Juice Naperville offered options for a family on the go
The family saw that Clean Juice Naperville was on their way home. Though not a fruit and vegetable lover, Pia agreed to try one of their smoothies, and she was hooked.
“So I was like, can we do a routine where every time we come back from horseback riding, if it’s open, can we come and get a smoothie?” said Pia.
Her mom agreed to the deal.
“The most important part,” said Cortes, “she wears a continuous glucose monitor, and her CGM was steady.”
Becoming a business owner
Clean Juice Naperville became a regular stopping point for the family. One day Cortes learned the business was for sale, and knew she had to buy it.
“I remember that day when I got back home and I talked to my husband and I said, ‘Honey, we need money. We need to buy a business.’”
By December of 2025, Cortes was the new Clean Juice owner, much to her daughter’s delight.
Cortes says she’s happy to be able to provide the community with some of the relief she got from Clean Juice as a mom, trying to find healthy food options for her child.
“You can’t even imagine when you have a kid, a daughter or a son, or someone with a condition, and you’ve got the opportunity to feed them,” said Cortes.
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