Angie Max was making healthier juice at home for her son when she had an epiphany. Maybe other families would want to have healthier juice too? Since then, Angie has been building her Korean-inspired beverage brand Umma Juice and delivering delicious, healthy juice to families across the country.
Umma Juice is rooted in both motherhood and memory for Angie. Growing up, her own umma (mom in Korean) showed care through fruit, peeling it when the family was studying, sick, or coming in from playing outside. Years later, while raising her own family, Angie wanted to offer that same kind of intention, even when life didn’t leave much time for peeling fruit by hand.
That feeling became Umma Juice, a lower-sugar juice brand made with real fruit purees, Korean-inspired flavors, and “umma-level care.” With flavors shaped by persimmons, pears, watermelon, and childhood memories of fruit that was never too sweet, Umma Juice is building something that feels both deeply personal and widely relatable.
We talked to Angie about turning a family solution into a company, the Korean fruit memories behind the brand, why kids have been some of their most honest taste testers, and what it means to bring a Korean-inspired juice brand to modern American families.
Let’s jump in:
K-Snax: Umma Juice started as something you made at home for your son. We have kids at home and know the struggle when it comes to finding healthy juices for your kids. When did your juice shift from a family solution into a company?
Angie: I’ve been a maternal and child health advocate since I was 17, so it’s always been ingrained in me to consider how anything I do can benefit the broader community. When we created something that worked for our family with our juice inspired by my Korean upbringing that featured added benefits and much less sugar, it made me wonder if other families needed it too. I had a feeling they would. So we started bringing our juice to parties and events, and the response confirmed it! The need was real, and there wasn’t a juice option that families could feel good reaching for…until umma juice. My favorite part of building this brand is that we’ve created something that’s become a full experience, from the tasting, to every member having their favorite flavor.
K-Snax: The name “Umma” means “mom” in Korean, which immediately suggests care, comfort, and family to us. What did you want people to feel when they saw the name for the first time?
Angie: That’s exactly what we want people to feel. When I became a mom, I thought back to my own umma, remembering how she always peeled fruit for our family, whether we were studying, sick, or coming in from playing outside. She was intentional, present, always providing care and comfort. While focusing on my career, I found I had less time to dedicate to things like peeling fruit, but I still wanted to support my family in the same way. So we bottled up that umma-level care and intention. I also see this as a moment to share more of our Korean heritage, a nod to my upbringing, and to highlight the uniqueness of our flavors and fruits.
K-Snax: You’ve talked about Korean fruits and flavors being connected to comfort and care. What are some of the flavor memories from your own childhood that shaped the brand?
Angie: For me, flavor memories always centered around food, fruit, and desserts that were never too sweet. My umma would always remind me how much time and care goes into Korean cooking. Persimmons especially, were never too sweet and a favorite fruit growing up. It was always present at holidays and family gatherings. That became the basis for our K-Pop Medley flavor. I also pulled in pears and watermelon for our other flavors! Watching my mom make fruit purees for marinades and hand-make applesauce will always be one of my favorite memories growing up. Crafting our juices is no different. We use real fruit purees and juice.
K-Snax: Many parents want better drink options for kids, but kids can be brutally honest about taste. How did you balance function with flavors kids truly want?
Angie: As a foodie family, we’re critical of flavors and aftertastes, which is why we spent a lot of time on each juice. It had to be something our family would genuinely love to drink. Honestly, we hardly drank juice as a family because the sugar content was always too high and the flavors were flat. Our fruit combinations may seem unique, but there’s something familiar about them for kids and families, and we’re really proud of that. We’ve sampled over 6,000 people and have yet to meet real resistance from kids. We even have parents tell us their child is picky or sensitive to texture, but love our juice.
K-Snax: Your brand is Korean-inspired, but it’s also designed for modern American families. How do you decide when to lean into heritage and when to keep the product more broadly accessible?
Angie: Honestly, this is still something we navigate every day, even in how we show up on socials. I liken it to my own experience growing up Korean-American. I’m deeply proud of my heritage and my family, but I was also born and raised in the US, always trying to find my footing in both worlds. That tension never really goes away, but it also shapes everything about how we build this brand. In a lot of ways, building umma juice has been cathartic. It’s given me a way to reflect on and finally blend those two parts of myself, Korean and American, into something that feels whole. My interests range so much, and I’m just trying to carry that into umma juice, doing what feels right and hoping it translates. The most rewarding part is showing that a Korean-inspired brand can be for everyone. Being able to educate people on the different ummas on our juice bottles, and watching families try fruits and combinations they’ve never had before and love them…what could be better.
K-Snax: In your Voyage Austin interview, you mentioned the learning curve of entering a new industry. What surprised you most about building a beverage brand?
Angie: Not sure if it’s the most surprising, but it’s definitely the most challenging. Some parts of this business will be beyond my singular control, no matter how much I prepare. Production day alone — I’m getting sweaty just thinking about it. Supply chain, operations, logistics. So many dependencies, so many things that have to line up just right. But what actually surprises me is how much I love it. Being able to overcome those tense moments builds real confidence in this industry. My background in international development probably laid some of that groundwork, working in environments where systems break and you build anyway.
K-Snax: Umma Juice was named a semifinalist for BevNET’s 2026 New Beverage Showdown. What does that kind of industry recognition mean for such a personal brand?
Angie: It’s wild, and it feels like such an honor and privilege. Being on stage talking about my Korean heritage, the fruits that mean so much to us, and the significance of this brand feels special. The closest I’d been to the CPG industry before this was watching my dad run a route for Tastykake, an east coast bakery brand. He’d drive through the city delivering to small independent stores, a lot of them Korean-owned. Being in front of industry experts now, getting real feedback and hopefully connecting with people who can offer guidance is what I’m looking forward to most!
K-Snax: What are your favorite Asian snacks?
Angie: Ojingeo (squid) with peanuts, Nongshim Onion Rings, Jollypong, Yakult drink, BB Big Red Bean Ice Bar, mochi, Mujigae-tteok (rainbow rice cake), roasted sweet potato, Shrimp Crackers, gim (dried seaweed)
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