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RESERVE — Nutrition 61 opened at 2919 W. Airline Highway in Reserve earlier this month to offer the community loaded teas and meal replacement shakes packed with natural energy, vitamins and minerals.

A new business opening in St. John the Baptist Parish is especially significant as the local economy recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic. Nutrition 61 marks the fourth store the Graham/Etheridge family has opened since going into business on February 28, 2019.

Prior to opening their first store, Angie Graham and her children, Ashley and Tyler Etheridge, would drive an hour out of the way to McComb, Mississippi to get a taste of their favorite loaded teas and nutritional shakes. There were no stores offering Herbalife nutritional products in Southeastern Louisiana at the time, and the family wanted to bring the products they had fallen in love with closer to home.

Their first storefront in Amite was quickly followed by locations in Watson and Lakeview. Nutrition 61 in Reserve is the family’s newest storefront, and they hope it can be a source of much-needed fuel for workers of the petrochemical plants along the Mississippi River.

“My husband does turnarounds, and he’s been working at the Dupont plant a lot,” Angie said. “He kept saying everybody who works at the plant was coming all the way to Amite to get a tea, and that it would be more convenient if we could just open here.”

Tyler is the owner of the newest storefront, and he looks forward to getting acquainted with the St. John Parish community. The feedback from locals has been positive so far, with many people showing their support for the new business.

While other Herbalife nutrition stores are opening around the region, each business is independently owned and operated.

Ashley said all of the products at Nutrition 61 are made with natural ingredients.

“Our loaded teas are going to replace your normal energy drinks at the gas station. Ours are plant-based, and everything is natural,” Ashley said. “Our loaded teas have 200 mg of natural caffeine. They have vitamins A through E with ginseng and guarana to boost your metabolism and help your mental focus.”

Nutrition 61 also offers beauty boosters with energy-supporting B vitamins, hunger control and vitamins to promote healthy skin. Specialty drinks have other flavors added in to create a healthy and delicious snack.

According to Ashley, Nutrition 61’s meal replacement shakes have 250 calories with 21 vitamins and minerals and four to five grams of natural sugar to relieve hunger for four to five hours.

“If you do a combo where you have a shake and a tea together, the hunger control will last longer throughout the day,” Ashley said.

She added that Nutrition 61 products stand apart from other brands because they are keto and diabetic friendly. Natural sugars, as opposed to processed sugars and caloric sweeteners, enhance the taste without posing health concerns.

Tyler said the community has responded well to the meal replacement shakes. The most popular specialty teas thus far have been “Louisiana Sunrise” and “Gummi Bear,” a popular flavor among children.

Nutrition 61 is open from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday. For more information, please call 985-618-2303.