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Ben Savory, owner of Savory Blends and an entrepreneurship student in the College of Business, shows off his juice bar in the Student Life Center. A. Sue Weisler |
Whether you’re searching for a protein-packed shake to aide in recovery after a tough workout, or just in the mood for a healthy, refreshing treat and a nice place to relax, look no further than Savory Blends, located in RIT’s Student Life Center.
The student owned and operated juice bar and lounge began as an offshoot of a business plan by Ben Savory, an entrepreneurship student in the College of Business. In addition to Savory Blends, he looks to open a Cold Stone Creamery ice cream shop in RIT’s proposed College Town development. Savory also owns residential property and real estate, all under the company name Savory-Turner Inc.
Though it has only been open a short period of time, Savory Blends presence on campus is already growing, but Savory feels that the student-run store can make an even greater impact by increasing student involvement. “I want to work with the resources we have on campus to get more students directly involved, whether it’s allowing business students to use Savory Blends for future business plans, having engineers design a mobile kiosk or displaying the work of fine arts students,” says Savory. “I want students to have a place where they can interact, someplace they can be proud of.”
While he looks to increase the number of Savory Blends venues on RIT’s campus, Savory also hopes that his current store will act as a steppingstone for the future, allowing students at other local-area colleges to open and run Savory Blends stores on their campuses. “I believe that the stores have a very good market potential because they would be student owned and operated–the prices are very reasonable too.”
Reflecting back on the learning experiences associated with starting a business, Savory attributes his in the ‘real world’ to his in-class experiences. “The business classes that I’ve taken truly helped to establish a business sense,” says Savory. “They were all very relevant and made it much easier to begin from the ground up.”
