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Nutrition shop offers ‘tea bombs,’ shakes by Gregory Norfleet · News · May 18, 2022
Before opening her West Branch location, Lori Hoskyn delivered things like tea bombs, shakes and protein coffee to all three of the city’s public schools.
So when she held a soft opening for Branch Out Nutrition on May 1, she “invited a few friends.”
By Wednesday, she had to wrench herself away from the cash register to get a quick ribbon-cutting photo with West Branch Community Development Group and City of West Branch representatives.
And an interview with the local newspaper? This reporter came back 90 minutes later after two waves of customers over the lunch hour.
“It’s been really good,” Hoskyn said of the interest shown so far. “People are trying it out.”
She and her children – son Nick and daughter Taylor – run four locations, with each location getting a different name.
There’s “Good Vibes” in Williamsburg, “Power Nation” in Coralville, and “365 Nutrition” in North Liberty – her first location founded four years ago. She also opened Hometown Tiffin and sold that location to Amanda Koen, one of her nutrition coaches.
She placed a map out for customers to suggest her newest location and about three-quarters of them chose West Branch. That was two years ago, but at the time Hoskyn could not find a suitable location.
When she looked again, she found the back section of 111 East Main and set up a sign facing the Jack & Jill Grocery Store parking lot. After some remodeling, she turned the former light-construction workshop into a serving bar for drop-in customers and offices for clients looking to cut fat, increase protein and fiber, increase energy and more. They sell Herbalife products like meal-replacement shakes, post-workout shakes, healthy energizing drinks and “tea bombs.”
Some of the popular shake flavors include “Cake Batter,” “Monster Cookie” and “Cinnamon Roll Latte”; popular tea bombs include “Strawberry Crunch,” “Pixie Stick,” and “Captain America.”
“We have something for the whole family,” she said.
Hoskyn spent 23 years working in sales for Martin Brothers, a food-distribution company to schools, restaurants and health-care offices. She got interested in some of the weight-loss products and visited a nutrition club in Ankeny.
“I found my passion and decided to make a (career) change,” she said.
While the shop sells made-to-order drinks, coaches teach clients how to make similar drinks at home, putting them on a program to reach health and weight goals.
“We can help you get your nutrition back on points,” Hoskyn said, noting that all of their customers “come in happy.”
The West Branch location has already drawn customers of all ages from eastern Iowa City, Tipton and West Liberty, she said.
“They’ll find ya!”
Hoskyn and Rylee Conrad anchor the staff, and they immediately hired two part-time high school girls to help out. They expect to add a full-time employee for the summer and other part-timers to build a six- to eight-person staff.
Branch Out Nutrition opened with hours from 6:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Mondays through Fridays. Depending on staffing and the after-school crowd, they may stretch those hours to 5 p.m.
If demand continues to increase, they will consider adding Saturday hours from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. and Sunday hours from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Hoskyn said.
However, the shop plans to host open hours on Saturday, June 4, during the Summer Kickoff event downtown. Branch Out Nutrition will announce the hours they will be open that day later.
Customers may call 319-643-3738, and follow them on Facebook at “Branch Out” or Instagram at @branchout_westbranch.
The shop rents space from Glendon Klein, who helped with four months of renovations, from tearing out walls and stairs and installing a new floor.
“He’s super to work with,” Hoskyn said. “He did a lot.”
Hoskyn invited residents to ask her about fundraising efforts. In some cases, her other locations offered up to half the proceeds to, say, a local baseball team.
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