Ashley Alden of Turner, owner of Driven Nutrition in Norway, holds an iced coffee packed with protein. Jon Bolduc/Sun Jorunal
NORWAY — It’s every coffee lover’s dream to have a cup of joe count as a meal.
Driven Nutrition, a new smoothie bar on Alcott Street, offers an iced coffee packed with 15 grams of protein.
“Most people don’t get their protein met every day,” owner Ashley Alden of Turner said. “We offer healthy alternatives to other things, healthy tea, an alternative to energy drinks, and shakes as meal replacements.”
Alden, who has worked as a delivery room nurse at Saint Mary’s Regional Medical Center in Lewiston for 11 years, said she was inspired to open her shop after befriending the owners of Elevate Nutrition in Turner.
“I saw what they were doing and wanted to do it with them,” she said. “I started going to Turner as a customer, then I offered to help out, and here we are.”
None of the many flavored shakes have any semblance of dairy. Alden said all flavorings are sugar-free and all shakes clock in at a healthy 200-300 calories.
Apart from offering healthy alternatives, Alden said she thinks her location and her shop’s proximity to nearby schools will make it convenient for the community.
Alcott Street is between Brown and Grove streets, which are directly off Route 26 and near Oxford Hills Comprehensive High School.
“We wanted to give people, and students especially, a place to come hang out,” she said. “A healthy, safe and sober place to come and hang out after school. We have Wi-Fi, we’re going to have a Wii hooked up here, and get a foosball table at some point. It’s a place for people to go and hang out after school and before sports.”
But Alden said every member of the community, from students to professionals coming in to work on laptops, can benefit from nutritional choices.
“Everyone can benefit from healthy alternatives,” she said.
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