About Genuine Fresche

Genuine Fresche is owned by Marcy and Brad Olsen. They opened their first shop in Gilbert in May of 2011, which made them one of the first acai bowl shops in Arizona. You can still find them restocking the shops, collaborating with local small businesses, and most often working the Fresche truck at a farmers market or corporate event.

It Started With Their Son

When the Olsens' youngest son was introduced to solid foods he developed eczema and skin rashes, and the cheerful kid they knew was not himself anymore.

What they got in return for asking about it were temporary fixes that never touched the underlying cause. Frustrated, they started researching on their own and made some fairly simple changes to what he ate. The symptoms eased off, gradually and then clearly.

That experience changed how Marcy and Brad fed their whole family. It also made them notice how few places there were to eat if what you wanted was whole food and plant based, particularly for anything that counted as a treat.

A Vacation in California, and Then a Shop in Gilbert

In the spring of 2010 the Olsens were on vacation in California and tried acai bowls for the first time. They were hooked immediately, and more importantly they recognized what they were looking at: dessert that was actually made of fruit.

Arizona did not have this. So they brought it back.

Thrive Acai Bowls and Smoothies opened in Gilbert in May of 2011. Tempe followed in January of 2013. As the business grew they rebranded to Genuine Fresche to avoid confusion as they expanded, and a third shop opened in Chandler in August of 2014 with the new look.

Chandler served that community for nearly six years. It was the location hit hardest by the pandemic, and at the end of March 2020 the Olsens made the decision to close it permanently. That one still stings.

The Truck

The Fresche Truck made its debut in the fall of 2016 and it has been the best thing to happen to the business since Tempe opened. It parks at the Gilbert Farmers Market every Saturday morning and books out for corporate events, weddings, schools, fitness events and community events across the Phoenix metro.

If you want it at your event, the catering page has the details, or call 602-753-6642.

What Genuine Actually Means Here

The name is not decoration. It is the standard.

We blend every bowl to order from whole frozen fruit rather than scooping a pre made, pre sweetened base out of a tub. We make our own peanut butter from our own recipe, fresh every day, and we use natural almond and pecan butters. We squeeze our juice when you order it rather than pouring it out of a bottle. And the whole menu is gluten free, granola included, so anybody who needs a gluten free bowl just orders one.

None of that is the cheap way to run a bowl shop. It is the reason people drive past three other places to get here.

Fifteen Years In

Marcy and Brad are most often out working the Fresche truck at a farmers market or corporate event, restocking the shops, or collaborating with local small businesses. They like the regulars, they like their staff, and after fifteen years they are still the ones tasting what goes out.

Two shops, one truck, and the same idea they started with: real food, made in front of you, that you do not have to talk yourself into.

Gilbert | Tempe | The Menu | Book the Truck

Come as you are. There is a place for you at Fresche.

At Genuine Fresche, we celebrate diversity in all its forms. We are committed to creating a welcoming, inclusive, and safe space for every person who walks through our doors, customers and team members alike.