Since 2012, entrepreneur Luisa Alberto has been serving made-to-order juices to San Franciscans at her juice bar, Sōw, capitalizing on Northern California’s easy access to organic produce. “I wanted to showcase the beauty and simplicity of nature’s bounty and exalt it in the same way we do specialty coffee and artisanal cocktails,” she says in her 1,000+ Stories profile.
Over the last 5 years, Alberto’s juice bar has gone from a small pop-up shop to a local staple with a permanent home in the San Francisco Ferry Building — a coveted location for area vendors. She has also developed long-term relationships with nearby farmers. Owning a thriving business has given Alberto “so much insight into who I am, what I’m good at and what I thought I was good at,” she says.
And the financial independence she has found through its success lets her indulge in the slower-paced lifestyle she prefers. When she’s not supplying fresh juices to the masses, Alberto can be found at home bonding with her infant daughter — and she wouldn’t have it any other way. “I am a total homebody, and couldn’t go back to the 9-to-5, 7-days-a-week office life.”