For more than 116 years, Naifeh's Food Stores has remained a fixture in West Tennessee by embracing change while never losing sight of what matters most: serving its community.
Founded in 1910 by Lebanese immigrant Joseph S. Naifeh after arriving in the United States through Ellis Island, the family-owned grocer has spent five generations evolving alongside its customers. Along the way, Naifeh's introduced many firsts to Covington, Tennessee, including the town's first in-store meat market, shopping carts, bottled milk and packaged bread. More than a century later, innovation continues to define the company.
Today, that commitment can be seen throughout its stores, from automated meat-cutting technology and digital loyalty programs to e-commerce and online ordering. It's also evident in one of the company's newest additions: a fresh juicing program powered by commercial citrus juicers from Citrus America.
For President Dana Naifeh, investing in fresh juice wasn't a departure from the company's history…it was simply the next chapter. "We definitely try to stay ahead of technology if that's even possible, always trying to innovate and keep our stores modernized," Naifeh said.
That philosophy has helped Naifeh's navigate changing consumer expectations, economic downturns, technological change and increased competition for more than a century. As the grocery industry continues to evolve, the family remains committed to finding new ways to enhance the shopping experience while staying true to the fresh departments that have long defined the business.
"We have great produce. All of our perishable departments, we are really proud of," Naifeh said. Known throughout the community for its full-service meat department, custom fruit trays and vegetable trays, adding fresh-squeezed citrus juice felt like a natural extension of what the company already did well.
"The juicer fits right into our company vision to constantly innovate and try new things," she said.
Today, customers can enjoy freshly squeezed orange juice every day, along with lemonade and strawberry lemonade. Seasonal offerings, including fresh lime juice and house-made margarita mix, rotate throughout the year, creating additional merchandising opportunities. Around Mother's Day, Naifeh's pairs fresh orange juice with La Marca Prosecco, while fresh margarita mix is cross-promoted with tequila at the family's neighboring liquor store.
The response to the fresh juice has exceeded expectations.
"Customers love it," Naifeh said.
While freshly squeezed juice commands a premium over conventional packaged juice, she says customers recognize the difference.
"People are willing to pay for quality," she said.
Like many successful fresh food programs, however, Naifeh believes success depends on more than simply installing equipment. It requires employee buy-in, customer education and sampling.
Fortunately, implementing Citrus America's CITROCASA juicer proved straightforward.
"Using the machine is easy... the training was easy, as was the implementation," Naifeh said.
"Training is important because if you don't, employees don't believe in it and then it's no good," she said.
That philosophy also shaped the launch of the fresh juicing program. Rather than expecting customers to discover the product on their own, Naifeh's invested heavily in providing free samples to the community.
"You’ve got to get them to taste it before they invest in it," she said.
The strategy has produced memorable moments. During a celebration honoring her father-in-law's 90th birthday, the family's third generation in the business, the team set up the juicer at the front of the store and gave away fresh juice throughout the day, often sending customers home with bottles after they sampled it.
"We gave some to a local community leader and he was like, 'Hey, where's that juice? You know what you were doing. You got me hooked,'" Naifeh recalled.
For her, the lesson is simple.
The investment has reinforced the company's belief that innovation succeeds when retailers remain committed to the program.
"You get out of something what you put into it," Naifeh said. "If you stay focused and you encourage your team to put the effort in, it's definitely a great investment."
That mindset extends far beyond fresh juice.
More than a century after Joseph S. Naifeh opened his first grocery store, the company continues to evolve while remaining deeply rooted in the communities it serves. Today, Dana’s son has joined the family business, as its fifth generation, continuing a legacy built on innovation, customer service and community involvement.
"Our community is so good to us, and so loyal to us, and we try to do the same for them and give back and support our community," she said. "We live in the communities that our stores are in, and we're visible, and it just makes a difference. You have got to care about your customers."
For Naifeh's Food Stores, fresh-squeezed juice is more than another offering in the produce department. It's simply the latest example of a company that has spent nearly 120 years proving that while the grocery business may continually change, a commitment to innovation and serving customers never goes out of style.
