Six years ago, Apryl Sims started Apryl’s Life in a Bottle (cold-pressed, vegan juices) to bring vitamin-rich sustenance to Los Angeles-area food deserts.

Today, her 12 oz. vegetable, fruit, and water-based juices sell at markets, co-ops, and plant-based restaurants across Southern California.

Apryl does all of her own manufacturing, production and bottling at Amped Kitchens L.A. South – and she wouldn’t have it any other way. “She appreciates everything Amped provides–from sanitation supplies to building maintenance–“because all I really want to do is grow my business,” Sims says.

Sims is one of several happy tenants at Amped. Read more about Apryl’s business, and how she brings pure nourishment to the masses.

 

What inspired you to start Apryl’s Life in a Bottle?

My grandmother juiced when I was a kid. Even my father was a juice and fresh vegetable fanatic. 

But my true inspiration came when a very dear friend developed cancer. He was an herbalist. And even through the cancer, he stayed true to his beliefs in vitamins, herbs, dietary changes and exercise. I wanted to support him in getting his body back to balance. That’s literally how I started juicing. 

Where do you sell Apryl’s Life in a Bottle?

I sell my products through southern California pop-ups and to consumers via my Web site. I also sell to small health food stores and restaurants in the greater Los Angeles area.

You are an Amped Kitchen tenant–do you want your own facility down the road?

I ran a brick and mortar store for 24 years prior to Apryl’s Life in a Bottle. Because of that experience, I have no interest whatsoever in having my own facility. [Laughs] I enjoy the fact that all the cleaning and sanitation items I need are managed by Amped Kitchens– the liquid soap, the pH balancers, aprons, and facility maintenance. I appreciate having all of those things on hand because all I really want to do is grow my business.  

How did you find Amped Kitchens?

I first became aware of Amped through a newspaper article. I looked at their first location in Northeast L.A. a few years before they opened, and I eventually opened my business at Amped LA South.

Why did you choose Amped Kitchens?

I looked at all the shared spaces between the South Bay and the Valley and the West Side. I initially was going to manufacture in church kitchens. But, when I saw the information about Amped – and I went and took a look-see – it just made more sense. 

Here at Amped, I genuinely have my own facility–it’s like my own little apartment. When I lock the doors, everything is exactly the way I left it when I return. I can work whenever I want, 24/7. I feel safe here. I also appreciate the fact that the tenants are entrepreneurial like-minded, so we encourage each other. I really like the camaraderie. 

I also really like the fact that Amped took care of the massive legwork to become a pre-approved facility for the Health Department. Before, when I managed a restaurant, whenever the Health Department came through we all had a huge panic. It was always such a big, fricking stressful ordeal. Here, I know I’m operating properly, and now I don’t have to worry about so many of the physical items that worried me when I was a restaurant manager.

What has being at Amped Kitchen enabled your business to do better?

Being at Amped Kitchens enabled me to really learn the business of juicing. Before, I didn’t know the process of scaling-up a recipe. 

Over the years I’ve had some very stress-filled moments – absolutely paralyzing.  Being a small business owner, when you’re paralyzed, you can’t function, can’t work. You just want to put your head in the sand like an ostrich. But, being at Amped Kitchens has allowed me the space to grow as an adult, as a parent, as a mother and a business owner. The people at Amped are good human beings, and being in that kind of environment is a cure for the paralysis that small business owners feel at times.

What does being an Amped tenant mean to you and your business?

Being an Amped Kitchens tenant means that my food production is predictable and doable. Apryl’s Life in a Bottle is designed to be sold in food deserts and food-insecure areas. It’s also designed to employ formerly incarcerated people and pay them a living wage. I want to expand to more major urban areas around the country and educate more people in wellness, provide healthy, wholesome juice and provide jobs. Being at Amped lets me know that I can continue to make my dream a reality.

Looking back… During the Reagan era, the whole “trickle-down economic theory” was touted. But for a lot of African American and female people – the trickle-down economy really didn’t work for us. But I tell you: what Amped is doing works brilliantly for me and for other people like me.  

Their staffing is fantastic. And all the tenants under one roof is like a little United Nations. It’s a slice of America working together harmoniously. We share with each other. We buy from each other. It’s a great environment. 

You can also tell a lot about the management and the ownership by the consistency of their personnel. It is not a revolving door. You get to know people here on a regular basis. Management makes a commitment to their staff. You can see that in the staff’s attitude: they work even when no one is looking.

What do you want other food entrepreneurs to know?

I want other food entrepreneurs to know that their dream is achievable. Do not be intimidated by what you see at Amped even though it so large and bustling – Amped is unlike any other space. I encourage people to take a tour, talk to other business owners, and jump in! Small businesses are what keeps America going! Honestly, Amped Kitchens needs to be all over the country because what they’re doing is absolutely revolutionary. 

Do you have a special moment at Amped you’d like to share?

When I first started at Amped in 2019, it was during a presidential campaign. I organized a series of voter registration drives at the site. We had black and brown people come together to be educated on voter registration issues. For people that were formerly incarcerated, they were able to be educated on how they could vote.