By Matthew Sockol
Staff Writer
Two young women from Freehold Township are running and expanding a business that encourages healthy eating.
Brooke Gagliano, 24, and Kelsey Healy, 22, are in the process of expanding the business Frutta Bowls, a health food restaurant that offers fruit bowls and smoothies.
“We specialize in acai, pitaya and kale as the base of the bowl, along with fresh fruit and a variety of topping options,” Gagliano said. “Our company is very unique when compared to others.
“When you walk into Frutta Bowls, you immediately get the vibe that you want to stay and hang out. We offer free Wi-Fi and free charging stations to welcome customers into our place to stay and relax on our couches while doing work.
“We do not add any additional ingredients into our bowl other than what we mention, which are all natural fruit products. The order can be placed by an employee or you can place it yourself. After placing your order, there is a TV that shows the customer’s name, wait time and product they ordered,” she said.
The business currently has locations open in Howell and Freehold Township. Future locations are scheduled to be opened in Marlboro, Robbinsville, Livingston and Tuscaloosa, Ala.
Gagliano, who attended Freehold Township High School and Drew University, founded Frutta Bowls in 2016 after being inspired by a visit to California.
“I discovered acai (a grape-like fruit) bowls when I went to California a year ago,” she said. “While I was there, I saw that everyone was fit and loved to eat healthy. There were a ton of acai bowl places and I immediately realized I had to bring this back to the East Coast.”
The Marlboro restaurant will be opened by Healy, who attended Howell High School and East Stroudsburg University. Healy came on board at Frutta Bowls after visiting the Howell restaurant.
“I was introduced to Frutta Bowls because my friends and family members started talking about this place in Howell that was delicious and different,” Healy said. “So I gave it a try and fell in love with the food and the concept.
“I had the opportunity to meet Brooke Gagliano and spoke to her,” the young woman said. “After a few meetings, I knew I wanted to be part of the Frutta Bowl family. Brooke is a dynamic person who has the same attitude about life that I do, and that is do what you love.”
Having minored in business management in college and working at Wegmans as an intern, Healy said she sought to open a business of her own.
“I had a dream to open my own business and after meeting Brooke, it was an easy decision to know I wanted to own my own Frutta Bowls,” she said.
The young women are looking forward to the expansion of Frutta Bowls and helping to promote healthy eating.
“We are currently a franchise and we plan on continuously growing,” Gagliano said. “We would like to grow and bring awareness to all of our customers, letting them know that not only are they eating a healthy product that is extremely beneficial for them, but that the process through which acai berries are picked is very environmentally friendly.”
“I am excited to get the Marlboro store up and running and to work with Brooke to create new items and ideas,” Healy said. “I hope to open another one in the future and help Brooke make the business grow.
“I have friends from California who have had acai bowls for 20 years and they are still going strong because the product is so fresh, delicious and healthy. I have a friend who lived in Brazil and he explained how acai bowls are a part of their culture and he has been waiting for them to hit the East Coast.
“Celebrities have been on Instagram flashing pictures of their acai bowls and it is nice knowing we are part of a movement on the East Coast to create fresh, good food that people will really enjoy,” she said.