Last Friday, I dropped by Caribou Coffee to get a beverage. For the first time, I experienced a…read morelineup at the drive-thru. It allowed me to take a look at the other businesses in this plaza as I waited. Two doors down from it is North Country Nutrition (NCN). I wondered whether it was similar to Zeev's Nutrition Studio that I typically go to in Toronto. Sure enough, I did some research online while killing time at the drive-thru, and it had healthy shakes and drinks. Cool! On Saturday morning, I decided to check out NCN. I found a parking spot steps away from the store and backed into it. I was the only customer at the store at around 10 am. The woman, who later introduced herself as Liz, was so friendly and warm. I loved the cozy vibes that this place had, from the couch with cute pillows and other Christmas decorations, to the northern vibes that you feel with canoe paddles and loons. We both ended up sharing where we are from. She's originally from Alexandria, which is roughly a 2.5-hour drive north of the Twin Cities. I indicated that I knew where it was when I used to drive between Rochester and Winnipeg. I cut through it. She loved that I knew where she grew up. The coziness comes from living by water, which shows. She was great explaining her shakes and teas. I am a tea person. I saw watermelon Jolly Rancher as a cold tea. I knew that I wanted it. So, she made me one. It was in a mega format that I'm used to. It was just over $5, which is reasonable. I paid with a credit card. It was easy. I tapped and was done. I thanked her for my drink and headed to my car. I sipped my watermelon Jolly Rancher tea throughout the day. It does taste like the candy, minus the sugar. The flavours were yummy. I was a happy camper. I am glad that I discovered NCN. It takes five minutes to drive over here from the hotel, which I love. The parking lot is small, but I managed to find a spot just fine. I wish that I had found it sooner on this trip. I'll need to return and try more drinks. This place closes at 4 pm most days. It's also closed on Sundays. (440)

Swung by NCN this morning for the first time -- I saw that I could order online through an app…read morecalled Engage. I put to have my order ready at 9am and when I walked in at 8:55am I was greeted by two ladies. I explained I had placed an order for pickup and the woman behind the counter grabbed it from a small fridge. Both of these ladies were so friendly and made me feel welcomed from the jump. Both my shake and tea were so good -- the tea especially though..YUMM!! I was given a punch card while paying, which was nice because I'll definitely be back soon!!