Photo Contributed
There’s a new spot for a quick and nutritious snack or meal across from Patriot Park in West Homewood. Homewood Nutrition has been serving up energy teas, protein-filled shakes and more, first via delivery and now from its storefront too. To learn more about the concept and its spaces, we chatted with owner Jace Mauldin.
How did you come to open a nutrition concept?
I became a customer first back home in Tupelo, and I fell in love with the products themselves and decided I wanted to go work there during quarantine. I started working for my mentor there and fell in love with the business side of it too. I had recently finished college and decided this was the best opportunity for me. We were looking for somewhere close enough to home, and my dad lived in Birmingham many years ago and we looked around there. Homewood immediately felt like home, and we found the perfect location across from Patriot Park.
Can you tell us about the shakes and teas you offer?
Our loaded energy teas are loaded with vitamins and give you a natural energy boost with no sugar. They have aloe for digestive health too. Our specialty teas have about 17 grams of protein with biotin and collagen that are also in the beauty teas. And then our full meal replacement shakes are under 250 calories and are low sugar and low carb with 24-27 grams of protein. The shakes have 21 vitamins and minerals in them. A lot of people will pair a meal replacement shake with an energy tea for a meal—you still get all the caffeine and nutrients. We have immune booster drinks loaded with vitamin C, zinc and probiotics we make fresh in-house.
What are some of your favorite flavors?
My favorite energy teas are the Tropical Sunrise and Captain America (strawberry and blue sweet tart), and my favorite beauty teas are Chanel (pineapple and strawberry) and the Dolly (orange and watermelon). For specialty teas my top two are Daisy Duke (strawberry and watermelon) and Strawberry Daiquiri, and my top two shakes are Banana Pudding and Strawberry Banana.
What is your space like?
Our space used to be a gun shop, but it had been vacant for a while. We finished gutting it and redid all the ceilings and floors. We wanted a bright modern look. We have shiplap countertops and dark stained wood on top, and a barn door leads into the office. We are working on adding a window seat for people to sit on to wait for their beverages, and currently we have some chairs there.
What was it like opening a business in a pandemic?
We have had lots of hoops to jump through. We did a lot of meetings virtually and adapted. We started out in December offering delivery only while we finished renovations before our grand opening in February. We still do deliveries and curbside for as long as we are able to, but we also like having customer interaction face to face. Now we have a ton of repeat customers, and people are loving the products as much as we do. A lot of the customers are trying out different flavors, so each day is a new flavor for them.
