Photo by Austen Neaton
Kaylee Neville and Sophie Groe smile behind the counter at Peak Winsted during the business’s grand opening Tuesday. Neville recently opened the nutritional beverage shop in Winsted after the closure of Peak Nutrition at the end of 2025, bringing protein shakes, teas, and other drinks back to the community.
When Peak Nutrition in Winsted closed its doors at the end of 2025, many residents found themselves missing their local shop for nutritious drinks.
Now, thanks to 22-year-old Gibbon native Kaylee Neville, a similar business is back in town under a slightly more local name – Peak Winsted.
Neville opened the shop Tuesday and celebrated the occasion with a grand opening alongside her younger sister-in-law, Sophie Groe of Glencoe, who helped greet customers and make drinks throughout the day.
The response from the community was immediate, as customers stopped in steadily from morning through the afternoon.
Neville said the first day went better than she expected, with both former Peak Nutrition regulars and new customers coming in to see what the new shop had to offer. Groe said the turnout showed how much the community had missed having a shop like it in town.
“It was really cool hearing everybody who came in today be overly excited about the fact that the shop is open again, that made me feel really happy,” Neville said.
“We’ve definitely felt that small town support so far, and you don’t get that everywhere,” Groe added.
Neville estimated that more than 50 customers stopped by throughout the grand opening day. She is currently running the business with help from Groe, who will continue working as her only employee when she is available. Groe is also a college student in North Dakota.
Peak Winsted offers a menu similar to the former Peak Nutrition shop, featuring protein shakes and flavored teas crafted with Herbalife products. The company supplies nutrition products to independent distributors who sell them through their own businesses.
The shop’s shakes contain about 200 calories and are considered meal replacements because they provide many of the same nutrients as a full meal. The teas are also low in calories and contain vitamins and minerals, with some varieties including collagen, which is intended to support healthy skin and joints.
Customers can choose from several flavors of shakes and teas, and they can also ask for custom combinations. The shop also offers drink options for kids.
Peak Winsted also serves caffeinated drinks made with Herbalife’s Liftoff mix, a sugar-free energy drink powder intended to boost alertness, focus, and metabolism. Some teas include the
Liftoff mix, and the shop’s lava shakes feature a visual “lava” effect created when the shake is poured over a fizzing Liftoff tablet.
The shop also offers hot and iced coffee, including high-protein varieties, as well as aloe shots.
Peak Winsted’s full menu and prices are available at the shop or on the business’s Facebook page, which Neville said will also be used to share updates, deals, and new drinks. Customers with questions can text 402-706-1558 or email peakwinsted@gmail.com.
The shop is open Monday through Friday from 6:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., and Neville said weekend hours may be added in the future if there is enough interest. Unlike the previous business, Peak Winsted is not currently offering exercise sessions.
From dancer to business owner
Neville said her interest in nutrition and healthy living began years ago.
Growing up as a dancer, she learned the importance of staying healthy and hydrated from an early age. During high school, she began enjoying nutritional drinks as an alternative to water, which she said she had never liked the taste of.
While attending North Dakota State University, Neville worked at a nutritional beverage shop where she learned about the business’s inner workings and gained some experience in management. Through that job, she also became a certified Herbalife distributor and trainer.
After eventually returning home, she continued making her favorite drinks for herself, but said it wasn’t the same as making them in a shop. That led her to consider starting her own business.
Last summer, after spending some time working as a nursing assistant, Neville began looking for possible locations for a shop, but could not find the right opportunity. Then in early January, while visiting a similar shop in Glencoe, she learned that Peak Nutrition in Winsted had recently closed.
She soon got in touch with Karin Dyan, founder of Peak Nutrition, who was excited to hear that someone wanted to keep a similar shop open in Winsted.
“She was very willing to help; she really wanted to see this place stay open,” she said.
Neville said starting the business has been an eye-opening experience for her, especially as a young entrepreneur from a small town.
She added that she is proud to be a business owner from her hometown of Gibbon, noting that not many people from the community go on to start their own businesses.
“It’s just a really great opportunity, especially for someone my age,” Neville said. “Learning these skills is only going to help us in the long run.”
Running the shop has already helped her learn new skills, including how to manage a budget and handle business expenses. She said the experience has also helped strengthen everyday skills such as communication.
Neville added that Herbalife’s distributor system helps make it easier for people to start businesses like hers, which made the process smoother for her as a first-time entrepreneur.
While the financial side of the business took some learning, she said she received helpful guidance from her former boss at the shop where she worked during college.
Family support and teamwork
Neville said she would not have been able to open the shop without strong support from her family.
Her husband, Reid, along with Groe and Groe’s family, helped prepare the shop for its grand opening. The family also provided some financial support to help get the business going.
“If it wasn’t for Sophie and her family, this would not have been possible,” Neville said.
Groe said helping Neville was an easy decision for her family.
“That’s how we have always been – when we can help out, we are going to, and with Kaylee being so close to all of us, it was a no-brainer to help her out,” Groe said. “We are here to support her, and we’re going to see it through with her until the end.”
Neville said she and Groe have been close friends for years, even before Neville met Reid. In fact, she said Groe was the one who encouraged her to pursue a relationship with him.
She added that she never would have imagined that the two of them would one day be working together at a business she owned, let alone as family.
While she once thought about opening a shop right after high school, Neville said she is glad she waited because it allowed Groe to be involved.
“I couldn’t imagine doing any of it without her,” Neville said.
Groe said she has enjoyed helping Neville and being part of the journey. To prepare for the grand opening, she spent several days learning how to make each drink on the menu.
Neville said she may eventually hire additional employees, especially during the summer, which could provide job opportunities for people in the community. No matter how the business grows, however, she said she plans to keep working in the shop herself.
“This is something that I genuinely enjoy doing every day, so I could never step away completely,” Neville said.
Building connections in a small town
Neville said it was important to her to open her business in a small town similar to the one she grew up in.
She said she enjoys the opportunity to get to know customers personally and build relationships with people who stop in regularly.
“It’s nice being in a smaller town because I can get to know all of the locals, and then when they stop in, I can automatically make that connection with them,” Neville said.
She added that taking good care of customers is important to her because they are the ones who support the business.
Neville said she spent a lot of time researching prices before opening the shop and decided to set her prices lower than many similar businesses so she could offer affordable options for the community.
Peak Winsted also offers loyalty cards and plans to run specials such as “Mega Tea Mondays,” where large teas are discounted by $1.
Neville said she would like to support local schools by offering deals when teams make state tournament runs. She also hopes to participate in community events such as the chamber of commerce’s annual business trick-or-treat event around Halloween.
“It’s very important to give back to the community, as well as support the school and other businesses,” Neville said.
A successful start
Neville and Groe said they enjoyed working together in the shop during the grand opening, especially the creative side of making the drinks.
Groe said she is looking forward to learning customers’ favorite drinks and remembering them when they return. Neville said she is excited about building those relationships with regular customers as well.
During the grand opening, some customers also offered constructive feedback about certain drinks. Neville said she and Groe welcome those suggestions because their goal is to give customers the products they want.
“We just want to improve, and one person stepping up when something isn’t right could help a lot down the road,” Neville said.
The two also said they would prefer to hear feedback directly from customers rather than seeing it posted on social media.
Several customers also inquired about bringing back certain flavors that had been offered at Peak Nutrition but are not currently on the Peak Winsted menu. Neville said she has already reached out to Dyan to ask about some of those recipes and has placed orders for a few requested tea mixes.
She added that while she is open to adding new flavors, there needs to be enough demand before expanding the menu. Overall, Neville said she does not plan to make major changes to the shop because she believes consistency is important for customers.
“We want to do whatever we can to be consistent for our customers and keep them wanting to come back here, because they’re the ones who are keeping our business alive,” Neville said.
She added that she appreciates the support the shop has already received and looks forward to continuing to build connections in the Winsted community.
