NICV Spotlight: Creative Juices
July 1, 2026
At Angel Mackey started juicing in 2013, on the heels of a life-threatening health crisis: “People don't realize how important health is until you don't have it,” she says. She quickly became a go-to among friends and family who wanted natural remedies, or just a way to get more fruits and vegetables in their diets or those of their kids. After a co-worker prompted her to think about turning her hobby into a business, the full-time executive assistant started working double days and launched Creative Juices.
That was 2021. Since then, the company has expanded from Mackey’s house into a storefront within a Rockford gym. Mackey delivers her 35 juice offerings to everyone from kids to elderly neighbors in Rockford and ships across the country, with customers as far flung as Texas and Miami. As her business grew, Mackey faced an infrastructure problem: she needed cold storage to meet health code and extend the lifespan of her juices. That’s where a loan from Allies for Community Business (A4CB) came in.
Northern Illinois Community Ventures (NICV), a joint program between A4CB and Nicor Illinois Community Investment (NICI), funds A4CB’s loans program to enable them to offer capital to entrepreneurs in Joliet, Rockford and South Suburban Cook County, as they sustain, expand or start their businesses. With her loan from A4CB, Mackey purchased an upright freezer, and the shelf-life of her juice went from seven days to six months.
Growing the business is key not just for Creative Juices, but for the impact Mackey hopes to have on her community. “Rockford is home,” she says, “and I saw a real opportunity to make wellness feel more approachable and accessible within the community.”
She notes that the west side of the city is fast becoming a food desert. “I noticed many people around me struggling with stress, fatigue, chronic illness and unhealthy eating habits, but not always having convenient or realistic wellness options available. I wanted to help create a culture where healthier choices feel more accessible, encouraging and sustainable for everyday people.”
Creative Juices has created a space for people to explore health without feeling judged, and to discover the benefits of unfamiliar ingredients, from beet juice to dandelion greens. “It has become much bigger than juice,” Mackey writes, “It’s become a source of encouragement, accountability and wellness support for many people.”
Mackey will shift to the business full-time this summer. Her freezer and storefront — the loan also supported early rent payments — have enabled more flexibility, combining made-to-order online purchasing with walk-ins or last minute orders that can be filled from the back-stock she now has room to store. Her dream is to grow further: hire a team, expand production and shipping and help build a broader cultural shift. “My goal is to continue creating products and experiences that help people prioritize their health in a simple, sustainable way,” she says, “while continuing to positively impact the Rockford community.”