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Shop the Heartland: Ital Vital Living

Posted at 7:49 AM, Jun 17, 2021
and last updated 2021-06-17 08:49:26-04

OMAHA, Neb. (KMTV) — When the weather is as hot as it this week, your body craves something light and refreshing.

A young metro entrepreneur is opening a store this weekend that sells just what you need and she said it's nutritious and delicious.

When Imani Murray began her health journey four years ago, juicing was one of the first healthy habits she adopted.

"This is kind of what inspired me to start because you know the orange juice on the shelves, they all look like real orange juice, but they're not," she explained.

She shared all her research and her recipes on YouTube.

Her drinks became so popular people wanted to buy them, so she started selling them.

At 19-years-old, her hobby became a business called Ital Vital Living.

Sales were good.

"They loved it and we started creating more," she said.

But she never imagined what was next.

At 22-years-old, she's opening a new drive-thru location for her signature juices, smoothies and smoothie bowls.

"Our Acai Smoothie Bowl, it's kind of the origin of the smoothie bowls," she explained. "It has acai in it, blackberries, blueberries and frozen bananas."

The bowls are created with all-natural ingredients, and they're made to order.

You choose your toppings.

"For the Acai Bowl, we have cranberries, blackberries, walnuts and dark chocolate, so it's all vegan," she added.

And they're filling — 64 ounces of healthy goodness.

The 20-something isn't doing all of this on her own.

"I started the five juices," she recalled.

Since then, it's become a family affair.

Ital Vital Living now has 20 different juices on the menu.

"My mother and my sister have also helped me create more juices," she shared. "Me my sister and my mom would kind of have taste parties."

Her mother, Deborah Taylor, explores the health benefits.

"I do a lot of the research for the nutritional value of what ingredients goes into the juices," Taylor said.

Her sister, Latisha Burrell, provides the final taste testers.

"My kids are picky so if they love it, I know it's going to be a hit," Burrell laughed.

Now everyone in the family is helping get this business off the ground. Imani's brother Marcus and his girlfriend Alyssa came all the way from Colorado to paint the building.

The entire family is passionate about making a positive change in the community.

"I've lived in North Omaha all my whole life. The black community is here, and we want options for the black community we want to keep each other healthy," Imani said.

Customers are embracing the healthy choices.

"A lot of people say 'is this completely real, has no sugar in it?' And it doesn't. Fruit is very sweet, and it doesn't need any sugar... it's nutritious and delicious," Imani stated.

Imani's journey has improved her family's health.

"You just feel more clarity. You can lose weight and all that, but just mentally you feel better as well as physically," she explained.

It has also helped her see what's possible.

"This is the first location. So we're hoping in a year or so we could get another location and maybe even have a chain one day," she said.

Ital Vital Living is also partnering with other vendors and will be selling salads, wraps and granola protein bars at the drive-thru location.

The grand opening is Saturday, June 19th at 2323 North 24th street from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

If you can't make the grand opening, you can check them out Tuesdays through Saturdays.

Visit their website for more details.

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