Norka Nimocks
Co-Founder, Just Made
H-E-B Partnering for Success
By Blithe Wiley
Co-founders of the cold-pressed juice company Just Made, Norka Nimocks and her husband, Walter, spent a number of years living and traveling through several countries in South America before returning to the United States. One of their favorite rituals while living in South America was enjoying fresh juice every morning.
“We would see the papaya or the guava transformed into juice right in front of us,” Nimocks explained. “It was so fresh and delicious. When we moved back to the U.S., we thought it would be wonderful to share the juices we love with people here.”
In 2016, the Nimocks started Just Made in their kitchen, experimenting with various South American juice recipes and ingredients, including functional ingredients like turmeric for added health benefits.
Just Made entered H-E-B’s “Quest for Texas Best” competition in 2017 and was one of more than 600 contestants. They were named a finalist that year and, as a result, began selling their 11 different juices in H-E-B stores in 2019. The company’s juices range from Ginger Greens and Pink Guava to Turmeric Defense and Mango Moringa.
“When we first started selling our juices in H-E-B, our products were located in the refrigerated juice section near the dairy section,” Nimocks said. “But our customers weren’t looking for juices like ours there. When we would give out samples of our juices at marathons, people would say to us, ‘I can’t find you in the produce section.’ We gave this feedback to H-E-B, and they agreed to move our juices to the produce section of their stores. That’s when our sales really took off,” she explained.
The Nimocks consider it a great honor to have their products in H-E-B, and this opportunity has impacted how they operate their business.
“H-E-B has such high expectations for its suppliers, and this pushes us to maintain the absolute highest standards at all times with regard to our products.”
Nimocks also notes that Just made shares H-E-B’s commitment to giving back to the communities in which it operates.
“H-E-B does so much for its communities in Texas. Whenever there is a disaster, like a hurricane, they go into the affected communities and provide disaster relief, like food and water. Just Made supports the communities from where we source our products in Latin America and the Caribbean. We donate 5 cents of every bottle sold to support local schools, teachers, and students in those countries. It’s our way of helping to empower our farming communities and their families.”
