Concord business turns tragedy into triumph

CONCORD, NC -It’s clear as soon as you walk through the doors of Nuju Juice Cafe that the Williams family is driven by faith, from the words on the walls to the ones coming out of Ayanna Williams’ mouth.

“Perplexed but not in despair, persecuted but not abandoned, struck down but not destroyed,” read Williams as she shared one of her favorite Bible verses from the book of Corinthians, “And that has been our family story.”

Ayanna and her husband Eugene opened up Nuju Juice Cafe in November 2024.

“I believe that God put everything that we need to help our bodies to live our best life right here,” she said.

For her, that meant her family.

She and Eugene have 6 kids, together they run the business.
Things were good, until they weren’t

“We’ve been through many tests and trials but this past year has been one that really hit us hard,” explained Williams.

Tragedy struck in February after Nuju’s opening ,when Eugene’s father was shot and killed.
Weeks later Eugene was in a car accident that left him paralyzed.
Ayanna says the weight of everything should’ve been enough to close Nuju’s doors, but it didn’t.