KOR finds new home on Highway 10

A complete version of this story appears in the Feb. 17, 2022 print edition of The Brillion News.

Feb. 18, 2022

By David Nordby

The Brillion News

BRILLION – KOR, the one-stop shop in Brillion for shakes, teas, coffees and aloe, has found a new home on Highway 10, in a former office in the Primary Companies strip.

Lindsay Johnson and Connie Meetz say they aren’t just about nutrition, which is the focal point of their products, but also about community.

Johnson had the vision to start KOR (derived from the word core, stylized as KOR) and open it downtown in 2017.

“We were not utilizing all of (the downtown space). We definitely knew that we could downsize a little bit because let’s face it, you have to pay to heat and cool the space whether you’re using it or not,” Johnson said.

They originally looked at Bakkheia one step over, but that was also too much space.

“This was an office so when we walked, it was like we really had to use our imagination,” Johnson said.

Johnson and Meetz gutted the building, took down walls and started from scratch. There was no plumbing.

“Whatever we wanted to do, we could do it,” Johnson said

They made the kitchen the way they wanted it to, and have a smaller inside, which is what they wanted.

“When we’re making shakes, a lot of times it’s just Connie and I here, we can engage with every single person in this building. Whether you’re sitting there or here or know each other or not, within five minutes, we’re all having a conversation, and we love that,” Johnson said.

Since Johnson opened KOR in 2017, Meetz became a client, then eventually joined her in ownership.

“You can tell when someone’s values and their beliefs align with yours and she has the same kind of drive that I do,” Johnson said.

They both say they are passionate about their job.

"(Lindsay) just made me feel content,” Meetz said. “That’s just been our thing since day one since that’s how she treated me, her being my coach, and I was like, if I can treat people like that, help them get healthy and make them feel good, that’s a no-brainer. Everybody wants to help people in some way, shape or form.”

The new location opened on Jan. 5. The two did construction on the new location while the downtown one was still opened.

“I like making shakes way more than I like construction,” Meetz said.

Meetz is a Brillion native. Johnson was a Reedsville High School graduate and lives in the Whitelaw area.

“When I first started, I didn’t know anybody. Like literally every person that came in was brand new to me and I feel like I’m kind of at an advantage because I have no preconceived notions at all,” Johnson said. “For me, this is my community.”

Johnson is on the tourism committee in Brillion. Meetz is a member of the Brillion Chamber of Commerce.

“I feel like I can bring a fresh perspective because I don’t know everything that’s going on in town,” Johnson said.

It has been good for Meetz from the native Brillion perspective, too.

“It’s such a good feeling knowing that where I was born and raised, I’m such an influential part of the community and I’m going to love them and they’re going to love me no matter what,” Meetz said.