Madison Smith worked in a nursing home at the height of the pandemic.

“We had a crazy amount of infections,” Smith said. “Basically how we survived was we stayed there to ensure our patients were stable.”

This put a lot of strain on the staff. They were constantly on their feet, supporting and helping patients. Many were leaving also during the time so they were short staffed as well. As Smith recalled, “It was hard to focus on yourself when you’re focusing on other people.”

So Smith got a bit creative.

“I started making the teas out of my office,” Smith said. “The girls loved them. Staff loved them. I had some doctors that loved them. It was great to contribute to them in that way and keep everybody energized and healthy.”

Eventually Smith’s endeavors added shakes, and her peers at the nursing home pushed her to start her own business and share her products with a broader community. Smith decided to do just that and opened Vivacity Wellness & Nutrition in Westborough.

Now, in just two months, Vivacity has already gained a following for its gourmet protein shakes and revitalizing teas.

“The town is fantastic. People are so sweet,” Smith said. 

Vivacity was created during the peak of the pandemic to combat the mental and physical exhaustion many were experiencing during the pandemic. The gourmet protein shakes, revitalizing teas, and nutritional protein bites allow for fast and easy supplements to people’s busy schedules, especially for the essential professionals Smith worked with. 

“There’s a cafe in my home town of Avon, Connecticut, and they taught me how to do everything,” Smith said. “They showed me how everything worked. I fell in love with it.”

With florals and plants, wooden benches and coasters, as well as plenty of seating, Smith has created a safe space, which she said she hopes people will take advantage of and join her daily to talk about the day to come or what may be stressing them, serving as a resource to people seeking mental and nutritional clarity. 

“I like to incorporate mental wellness in addition to physical wellness,” Smith said. “They go hand-in-hand. If your mind’s not right, then obviously your physical condition can fall apart.”

When customers purchase a drink, they receive an affirmation sticker in addition to the open space that Smith provides.

“I have had a lot of people open up to me,” Smith said. “It’s fun having people go off realizing they’ll have a better day because they were able to talk about it.”

Smith broadens her community beyond the Vivacity store as well, including space for local vendors to sell their products.

“Anybody that’s a local entrepreneur, most are my customers but it’s open to anybody,” Smith said. “They come in and they sell their own small-business items, and they get 100 percent of the profits. It’s a way for us to connect and appreciate each other and grow together.”

Smith’s mission is to revolutionize the way people enjoy nutritional products, as all her  products are packed with daily essential vitamins and minerals to curb low energy. They’re also low in calories and naturally sourced, which can help to reduce afternoon crashes. 

For teas, Smith and the boards in her shop walk customers through the process of ordering the right tea. Customers can choose levels of caffeine as well as flavors of aloes, teas, liftoffs, and any additional add-ins. Combination options are abundant, including cranberry aloe with pomegranate tea and pomegranate liftoff with more cranberries or a different fruit flavor. Others may mix it up with mandarine aloe, lemon tea, organe liftoff, and other citrus-y options.

“You get that natural energy kick through the vitamin B-12, which is pretty cool,” Smith said.

There are also refresher drinks. Kiddie options have more fun names like Little Mermaid, Baby Groot, Captain Marvel, Reptar, Mojo-Jojo, and Iron Man. Fat burning references are options like watermelon whip and orange cream. Boba popping pearls are an additional option to any tea.

The shakes come in a variety of flavors as well. With sizes ranging from 9 ounces at $5 to 16 ounces at $7 and 24 ounces at $9, the shakes are able to come vegan and gluten free. The shake sizes are also impressively only 100, 200, and 300 calories respectively. Smith said the 24 ounce is a meal replacement and the other two are more snack-version sizes.

“They’re meal replacement shakes, so anybody can have them regardless of age, regardless of dietary restrictions,” Smith said.

Smith has created chocolate flavors, including choco pretzel, java chip, and mint oreo; peanut butter options, like fluffernutter, pb french toast, and pb oreo; fruity choices, such as blueberry cobbler, key lime pie, and strawberry shortcake; as well as vanilla bases, like funfetti, frosted animal cookie, and matcha cream.

“I really like brownie batter. It’s really good,” Smith said. “It tastes just like brownie batter. Still healthy.”

Protein lattes come in either 24 or 32 ounces, and they can come in any shake flavor. Goodies, as Smith calls them, include protein fudge (only 250 calories with 10 grams of protein, 23 grams of carbs, and 10 grams of sugar), protein truffles (288 calories with 15 grams of protein, 23 grams of carbs, and 10 grams of sugar), and cookie dough oats (150 calories, 12 grams of protein, 6 grams of carbs, and no grams of sugar).

In addition, Smith offers add-ins that focus on specific areas of the body, There’s a beauty booster, immunity shot, probiotic add in, and even a H3O Caffeine Free option.

Vivacity also has a punch card for visitors, with incentives for free things. A gratitude jar also allows customers to look introspectively while competing for a free shake once a month.

Vivacity is located at 3 Summer Street, Westborough, For hours of operation check-out their website at therealvivacitynutriton.com.