How This MDC Alumna Is Defining Juice Options In Opa-locka

Fathiyyah  “Tia” Doster began juicing in 2013. 

After being diagnosed with HELLP syndrome—a rare complication of high blood pressure during pregnancy—during her daughter’s birth in 2010, she was left with kidney failure.

Yearning to find healing and improve her overall well-being, she became curious about the benefits of juicing. 

But her fascination soon turned into something the 40-year-old never imagined: a business. 

Doster, who had no prior business experience, created JuiceDefined  in 2015. It’s the first and only black-owned juice bar located at 854 Ali Baba Avenue in Opa-locka.

The family-owned company sells raw, vegan-friendly juices, smoothies, wellness shots, detoxes, salads, soups, chia puddings and cookies. All of the products on her menu are made from scratch.

It attracts 30-35 clients daily. 

“The goal of the business is to create access to healthier options,” said Doster of her business, which is located in a food desert, a neighborhood that lacks access to fresh produce and food. “We want to expose our community to different types of foods that offer more nutritional value…healing the community from different ailments that are prevalent.”

Doster’s journey started at North Campus where she earned her associate’s degree in general studies in 2002. 

She transferred to the University of South Florida, attaining a bachelor’s in psychology in 2005 before receiving a master’s in mental health counseling from Springfield College in Massachusetts four years later.  

Doster began making juices in her kitchen for herself, drawing inspiration from books such as The Grape Cure, Working the Roots, Rational Fasting and Sacred Woman: A Guide to Healing the Feminine Body, Mind, and Spirit. 

“I did a ton of research, learning what produce was good and what kind of nutrients and minerals each fruit or vegetable contained,” Doster said. “I slowly began [creating] different recipes based on the health benefits, but also the taste.” 

For seven years, Doster worked from her kitchen in Miami Gardens longing for the courage to expand. 

“What I was doing was new to my community,” Doster said. “For the most part, a lot of people didn’t understand it.”

As Doster’s juicing journey advanced, she introduced products she made to her family and friends. Eventually, people began to ask her to make juices for them. Their positive feedback encouraged her to continue her journey.  

Doster’s first official customer was a lady named Vernell, who was thirsty to change her diet and lifestyle. After trying the juices, she was adamant that Doster jumpstart her business.  

“She would always encourage me. She would say, ‘We need this, our community needs this, there’s nothing like this around,” Doster recalls. “She was right. When I actually did start selling it, a lot of people were super interested. It kind of grew legs of its own.”

All of JuiceDefined ingredients are organically grown and derived from local and wholesale produce stores, such as 100% Food Group, a distribution company. 

Some of her top selling juices, which range from $10 (16oz) to $25 (half-gallon), include: The Dee, made using coconut water, kale, pineapple and apple; Twisted Carrot, made from carrot, apple, ginger and lemon; and Beet-A-Rita, containing beetroot with leaves, fresh lime and Georgia grown watermelon.

Doster hopes to expand her juicing business by adding another brick-and-mortar location or food truck and eventually build a franchise. 

“They do what they’re supposed to do,” said Lucretia Jones, Doster’s client and friend. “They have such great health benefits. Once you see something works for you, you’re going to keep going back for more.”  

For more information, contact Doster at info@thejuicedefined.com. 

Click here to subscribe to our bi-weekly newsletter, The Hammerhead. For news tips, contact us at mdc.thereporter@gmail.com.