Beach Break Nutrition: Two Harbors’ New Healthy Hangout

The past few years have been a time of transition and trans­formation for Connie Darco and her family. After living in Thief River Falls, MN, for 15 years, they moved to Two Harbors about two years ago when Connie’s husband ac­cepted a job up north. Both Connie and her husband are originally from Mahnomen, MN.

“We love it,” Darco said of the area. “It was a good move for us.”

Darco made another big move earlier this month, opening her own business—Beach Break Nutrition—at 604 1st Avenue in Two Harbors. The smooth­ie and juice bar serves up healthy, flavorful shakes and snacks.

For Darco, it’s more than just a product— it’s something that transformed her health and her outlook on life.

“About three years ago, I found out that I had food allergies— not just a few, but a lot of food allergies—and I was sick every time I ate something,” Darco explained. “I was close to 300 pounds, and I was miserable. I was tired all the time and felt sick all the time.”

Soon after, a friend in­troduced her to nutri­tion shakes that were gluten-free, sugar-free, and dairy-free.

“For the first time, I didn’t feel sick after I ate,” Darco report­ed. “Since then, I’ve dropped about 150 pounds. I have more energy and feel better than I have in years.”

Darco was inspired to open her busi­ness to share her story and help others facing simi­lar challenges. She explained, “I decided that my dream of opening my own busi­ness would be Beach Break and sharing my story with oth­er people to try to help other people who are going through the same is­sues.”

When I men­tioned that gluten-free, s u g a r – f r e e , and dairy-free products are often notori­ous for lacking flavor, Darco assured me that her shakes are delicious— and even husband-ap­proved.

“He likes them,” Dar­co said. “My daugh­ter and I try to come up with new recipes all the time, and he’s kind of our guinea pig. He actually does enjoy them—he never thought he would, but he does.”

With flavors like Mon­ster Cookie, Cook­ies and Cream, Berry Smoothie, and Peanut Butter Chocolate, Dar­co often hears people say they can’t believe the shakes are healthy.

“We guarantee the shakes are all under 300 calories, and you get 17 grams of pro­tein with every shake,” Darco said. “They are certified meal re­placement shakes, so you’re getting all the vitamins and nutrients you would need from a meal.”

Another popular offer­ing at Beach Break is their Lit Tea—a green tea sourced from Chi­na and cultivated using a special method to en­hance its benefits.

“They cut the first leaf from the plant, then plow over it and let it regrow,” Darco ex­plained. “So, you’re getting the best nutri­ents, antioxidants, and vitamins from the tea leaf.”

The result is a more natural caffeine boost that’s absorbed by the adrenal system rather than the cardiovascu­lar system, helping to avoid pounding heart­beats and caffeine crashes.

“We do many dif­ferent flavors of our teas,” said Darco. “We can add aloe, which is great for digestion, and we have other things that we can add into your tea to make it even better.”

Beach Break Nutri­tion is currently open from 6:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. on weekdays and is finalizing weekend hours. They are updat­ing their menu regu­larly, quickly learning which items are favor­ites. Holidays will fea­ture special offerings, like their Memorial Day options—Hero, American Dream, and Captain America—in red, white, and blue.

With its beach-in­spired theme, the space feels bright and color­ful—almost like a lit­tle slice of the shore right in town, inviting everyone to come in, unwind, and soak up good vibes.

“We are here for the community. We wel­come people of every age to come in,” Dar­co said. “We will be adding coffee to our menu, so we will have iced coffee and hot coffee. We have games for the kids to come in and play. We have toys for the little ones to play with. If mom wants to come in and sit and have tea with her friends, the kids can play. We just want to be that place where people can just come in and hang out.”

Kids can enjoy a Fish­bowl—a refreshing blue juice with Swed­ish Fish frozen inside the ice. Darco also of­fers protein bites made with honey, peanut butter, and a variety of flavors.

“They are a nice little snack to kind of get over the hump of ‘I’m feeling kind of hungry.’ Have one of these and it will get you through to the next meal,” Darco said. “They are very popular with the kids in sports because they give them that en­ergy they need to get through the game.”

Since opening, the shop has already at­tracted quite a few repeat customers, “which we really ap­preciate,” said Darco. “We see new faces ev­ery day, so we really love that, too.”

To learn more, check out Beach Break Nu­trition Two Harbors’s Facebook page for hours and menu up­dates. Stop by soon and enjoy the fresh, flavorful shakes and teas that are making a splash in town!

Congratulations to Connie Darco and her family on their excit­ing new venture!