Decades ago, Statesboro native Lee Barnes and his wife Amy fell in love with Smoothie King while living in Atlanta. Amy struggles with chronic food allergies and was thrilled to find a place she could enjoy that her kids loved also.
        "When we first tried Smoothie King, we were pleased to learn that something that tasted this good could be good for you too," said Amy Barnes. "The more we tried it, the more we loved Smoothie King."
        After a long career in real estate development, Lee was anxious to retire back home in Statesboro. Amy grew up in the area also and they wanted to be back close to family and friends and enjoy a little slower pace that Statesboro affords.
        "Even though I was retiring from land development, I am too young to stop working all together," Lee Barnes said. "Amy and I began looking for opportunities in Statesboro and we were surprised that no one had opened a Smoothie King here. So we started the process for us to become Smoothie King Franchise owners."
        The Barnes opened Smoothie King with much fanfare in August beside Walmart Market in the Market District. The store has exceeded the Barnes' expectations, but they feel there are still a number of locals who don't understand what all Smoothie King has to offer the community.
        Since inventing the smoothie bar in 1973, founder Steve Kuhnau started blending for a purpose which was solving his chronic food allergies. Since opening, every blend they create, every team member they hire and every decision the company has made has been dedicated to the purpose to inspire people to live a healthy, active lifestyle.
        No matter if your goal is to power a workout, lose weight or make food choices you feel good about their "blendologists" are trained to help you develop the right nutritious smoothie for your goals and Healthy Rewards tailored just for you.
        They divide their smoothie blends into four categories:
• Slim Blends: Blended to help you slim down, burn fat, get lean or reduce calories.
• Wellness Blends: Blended to help you strengthen immunity, balance your diet or simply feel better.
• Fitness Blends: Blended to help you get toned, build muscle, last longer or recover faster.
• Take A Break Blends: Blended to help you take a break, reward yourself or simply enjoy the day.
        Every smoothie is expertly blended with real fruit and fruit juice, nuts or veggies, plus the high-quality proteins, vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and more to help you reach your goals.
        No high fructose corn syrup. No trans fat. No ingredients prohibited by any regulatory lists monitored by NSF. They are athlete-friendly. Each smoothie is made with only high-quality ingredients.
        Smoothie King has grown to more than 800 locations and counting, across three continents, from the US to South Korea, Trinidad & Tobago and the Cayman Islands.
        Once you give Smoothie King a try, it is easy to understand why they are so popular and are doing extremely well here. Lee and I both agree that our favorite smoothie is the Peanut Power Plus with Pure Recharge.
        Wayne Hart and Kelly Carnes are leading the operations at the Smoothie King Statesboro with Wayne serving as store manager and Kelly as the assistant manager. Amy and Lee's daughter Laura is assisting with outside sales and marketing. The Barnes' daughter Elise is currently completing her Master's in Public Health in Atlanta.
        Stop in today and give them a try. They are located at 357 Brampton Avenue beside the Walmart Neighborhood Market