Twelve years. Wow! It feels surreal to say it out loud, but it’s more surreal that I haven’t written a Lumi birthday message in 10 whole years! Ugh. What does that say about our journey?
I am not even sure, but I am sure that most businesses fail in the first five years. And, I am even more sure that not taking the time to celebrate the small wins will absolutely crush you.
So, here we are - celebrating a very big win - turning 12 years old. I remember turning 12. It was an awkward time for me trying to navigate school, friendships, family, and over 20 hours of gymnastics a week, among the countless other dynamics of adolescents. I knew one thing about myself then that is still true for me now - when you set your mind on a goal, failure is never an option.
Over the past decade of birthday silences, Lumi has survived grueling obstacles and relentless smack-downs, but we are still sitting on the bus with the cool kids to talk about it by remaining authentic to who we are, taking accountability for our actions and embracing the bonds of our clients.
From cafes to QVC to the locker rooms of the best golf tournaments and sporting events in the world, we fuel the professional athletes and corporate athletes across countries. I still remember the spark that started it all—an idea I had as I was walking through Whole Foods in Charlottesville, VA. In under six months, my concept came to life, evolved into one of the first fully operational juice and high pressure process manufacturing facilities in the world, and landed on the shelves of Charlottesville’s Whole Foods—right beside the very juice brands that originally inspired me.
I can’t help but flash back to what I wrote on our second anniversary: “How did we make it two years? I’m not quite sure. All I know is that faith in an idea has the genius of transforming the seemingly impossible into reality.” That faith still humbles me. Today, Lumi is in thousands of refrigerators, helping people live brighter and feel better every day. We’ve launched new blends, expanded our team, and kept our promise to stay organic, cold-pressed, and real - no BS.
None of this would be possible without the people behind Lumi. To anyone who has been part of our team—your commitment, creativity, and hustle inspire me every single day. To our amazing customers—thank you for believing in us, for sipping our juice, and for sharing your stories. To our partners and retailers—thank you for standing by us and helping us grow, one bottle at a time. As I wrote ten years ago, “Without you, Lumi would only be a cute, little acronym.” That’s still true today.
Looking back on the last twelve years, I’m in awe of how far we’ve come. From those first few bottles in Charlottesville to now shipping across countries — it’s been a wild, juicy ride. And through it all, our mission has never changed: to make healthy, delicious juice that’s as full of purpose as it is flavor.
Here’s to 12 years of Lumi and to many more years of brightness ahead!
Love yoU, Mean It!
Xoxo,
Hillary
P.S. If you can’t run with the big dogs, stay on the porch.
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