In loving memory of Arden Zinn, founder of Arden’s Garden and a celebrated figure that the Atlanta community is lucky to claim as its own. She will be dearly missed.
Health-conscious juices, smoothies and more? Sign us up! In 1995, Arden Zinn started selling cold-pressed juices with the help of her children. Eventually, her daughter Leslie took over and now serves as CEO for the brand. Arden’s Garden now operates 17 retail stores in the Southeast, offering fresh products at an affordable price. Arden’s Garden is proud to give back to their community – and is excited to continue offering healthy food and beverage options to the Atlanta area.
Q: Tell us about yourself and how Arden’s Garden began.
LZ: I grew up in Atlanta with my parents and older brother, where my mom owned exercise studios and my dad was a professor at Georgia Tech. I spent most of my youth as a competitive gymnast before leaving the South for Boston, where I went to college, then returned a few years later to finish my business degree from Georgia Tech. After graduating, I worked at a small marketing company but did not feel fulfilled, so I went to medical school – where I could focus on helping people.
Arden’s Garden started in 1995 when my mother, Arden, purchased an expensive cold press juicer. To make herself feel better – and to justify the purchase – she made free juice for her friends. A local health food store heard about the juices and offered her a spot in the back of their store to make the juice, giving her the produce and splitting sales. Seeing it as a win-win situation, she recruited my brother and me to help with the labor-intensive task of operating the juicer.
Nine months later, we were not getting paid and decided to sell the juices in Buckhead as a last-ditch effort. My mom chose to market the juices to Buckhead hair salons, and it completely turned the business around. Now, 25 years later, we offer cold-pressed juices, made-to-order smoothies, juice shots and a variety of plant-based snacks and salads. We have two production facilities – both located in East Point – alongside 17 retail stories and more than 1,000 partners in the Southeast.
Q: Did you have any specific goals before opening? If so, what did that look like, and have they changed along the way?
LZ: Our goal initially was to simply stay in business and provide a way for my mom to support herself. Now, our goal is to bring health to our community and continue to thrive as a business. We would love to keep expanding our brick-and-mortar locations in the Atlanta area, especially in communities that are considered “food deserts,” plus continuing to grow our wholesale business up the East Coast.
Q: How do you believe your business contributes to your community?
LZ: Since opening, we’ve always been committed to serving our communities and love spreading “good health for all” through fresh, healthy products at an affordable price. We often donate and participate in food drives, alongside partnering with local nonprofits throughout the year.
We really enjoy seeing the interest and excitement in healthy foods and beverages in our communities! East Point loves to be healthy – and that may surprise some people – but our Main Street location is our top-selling store.
Q: If you grew up in Atlanta, how does it feel to contribute to the same community you were raised in?
LZ: It feels amazing to contribute to Atlanta, but it feels even better to contribute to our new home of East Point, specifically. There were, and are still, plenty of healthy options available where I grew up. But in East Point, there are very few health-conscious spots, so we are thrilled to be a part of the growth and the change in this community.
Q: Did you have any mentors or people you admired when starting?
LZ: My mom, Arden, who was the namesake of our company.
