Learning to THRIVE at Alua’s Thrive Bar

Visitors to Alua’s Thrive Bar in Mount Shasta are met at the entrance with a beautiful quote on the wall from Maya Angelou – “My mission in life is not merely to survive, but to Thrive; and to do so with some passion, some compassion, some humor, and some style” – a guiding principle of this community landmark restaurant.

Alua’s Thrive Bar provides quick, healthy, tasty meals for folks on the go. Photos provided by Thrive Bar.

The beginning of a thriving business

A superfood café and kombucha brewery, Alua’s Thrive Bar features healthy meals for locals on the go. The restaurant’s roots were planted seven years ago when Nion and Rebecca Sheppard started a small kombucha brewery, Infinity Kombucha, that quickly became popular at local farmers markets. Their products were soon being featured in local restaurants.

At first, they never saw themselves having a full restaurant. But they noticed there were no restaurants or cafes in Mount Shasta that exclusively sold high quality, health-centered food and drinks. They had outgrown their tiny brewing space, prompting them to begin a two-year intensive makeover of a building that had previously served as a large thrift store.

On Jan. 1, 2021, taking a difficult business gamble in the middle of the COVID pandemic, they opened their doors as Alua’s Thrive Bar, a grab-and-go café serving cold pressed juices, kombucha, wraps and superfood smoothies. Living up to their restaurant’s name, they begin to thrive and became known as Mount Shasta’s healthiest cafe.

Vision for a thriving community

Nion and Rebecca didn’t want to just serve healthy food. They wanted to create a space where people had a place to support their own healthy choices and, through food and community, learn how to thrive. They saw many people in their community stuck in a cycle of, as Nion calls it, “health mediocrity,” relying on fast food and gas station grab-and-go’s. Their goal was to provide a space where people could break out of those patterns and begin to thrive by providing fast healthy foods and a meeting space for those seeking or maintaining positive changes in their lives.

They saw that often the only option Mount Shasta residents had for healthy eating was to sit down for a full meal at a restaurant and there were very few true vegan and gluten-free menus available. For someone who wanted healthy options for their 30-minute lunch break, there was no place in South Siskiyou County where they could go.

To meet this need, they have created a menu of quickly prepared meals that cater to vegans, vegetarians and gluten-free diets, with some carnivore options such as turkey, chicken breast or eggs. Efficient, healthy food prep became their focus and this would lead them to become innovators in their field.

The wait time for a healthy meal at Thrive Bar is 10 minutes or less for any of their delicious meals, including a variety of acai bowls, avocado toasts, bagels or the option to build your own bowl, allowing people on their lunch breaks or heading out to climb Mount Shasta to have an energizing, high quality, healthy meal.

Thrive also offers superfood smoothies, with add-ons such as a Probiotic Boost, Supergreen Boost, Vitamin C or collagen. Their specialty coffees are made with local, award-winning Northbound espresso and offer boosts of turmeric, ashwagandha root or performance mushrooms. Thrive Bar is the only place in Siskiyou County that offers cold pressed juices and they are the only kombucha brewers in the county. Their efforts have not gone unnoticed, winning awards for Best Café, Most Green Business, Best Place to Work, Best Vegetarian Food and Best Take Out Food.

Thrive Bar’s dedication to family and community

Nion and Rebecca work to foster a family-friendly atmosphere in their restaurant. Children’s birthday parties are welcome and the smoothies and kombucha are favorites. Nion and Rebecca know that children who start early eating a variety of healthy foods create a lifelong habit of healthy nutrition that helps them thrive for the rest of their lives.

Nion and Rebecca are committed to helping other local businesses prosper, featuring locally made products from Shasta Mountain Aquaponics, Northbound Coffee Roasters, Salt and Savor and from local farmers when available. They also donate to many community programs in Siskiyou County, support local beekeepers, a local hospice and the Siskiyou Humane Society.

Not only are they helping the local community thrive, they are also extremely proud of the strong, positive staff they have fostered. Their employees are part of their family – cared for, whatever they may be going through. Nion and Rebecca have lovingly supported staff members battling challenges with alcohol and smoking who now are thriving in their lives.

Alua’s Thrive Bar, 315 Chestnut Street, Mount Shasta, is open daily, 8am-5pm. See their menu at thrivebar.com, follow them on Facebook or Instagram @aluasthrivebar. Nion and Rebecca, as well as their amazing staff, are ready to help you THRIVE!