Dani Solorio, founder and chief executive of Compton Health Bar, doesn’t have to explain the importance of family in her mission to bring “health to the ‘hood” through superfoods and holistic products.
During this visit by the Business Journal, Solorio’s parents, Javier and Mimi Solorio, were busy working on new signage for the front window, and her wife, Samantha Clemens, was on hand to welcome visitors to the shop, which features Solorio’s custom health products as well as other sustainable products from woman-owned companies.
Founded in 2014 as the Health Outpost, the company went through a rebranding in 2017 and moved into its current location in a Compton strip mall in 2019. It’s a business district dotted with fast-food options, making a sign on an interior wall even more appropriate: “Stop Eating Crap.”
All proceedings at Compton Health Bar take place under the watchful eye of Solorio’s late grandmother Lolita Mora, whose framed photo sits in a place of honor. Mora introduced Solorio to natural medicine. “The earth is really smart,” Solorio said. “We have this symbiotic relationship to the earth if we allow ourselves to partake.”
The commitment to holistic health is personal for Solorio, who relocated with her family from Zacapú, Michoacán, in Mexico to nearby Lynwood at age 6. Growing up in an undocumented family meant the constant stress of hiding her status from the world, which contributed to a life fraught with anxiety and crippling panic attacks, as well as hormonal and weight issues.
To address these problems, Solorio returned to her family traditions, adopting natural healing techniques from Mexico and other countries. “I found that the closer we are to the earth, to our ancestral root, the better we feel,” she said.
And she gained a green card when she married Clemens in 2017
Solorio, 33, became what she has jokingly called an “undocupreneur,” opening a video store at an indoor swap meet in Compton at age 21. Her brother now runs that store.
Solorio’s business drew the attention Jane Wurwand, founder of Dermalogica and FOUND/LA, which selected Compton Health Bar for participation in FOUND/LA’s Business Honors Consulting Program at Cal State Northridge. Solorio is also the recipient of the 2019 Rising Star Award from the National Latina Business Womens Association-Los Angeles Chapter.
Solorio knows holistic health is uncharted territory for many local customers, so she helps them get on board by providing a relaxed and homey atmosphere, and that extends to Solorio’s work wardrobe, which consists of simple T-shirts, jeans and sneakers.
Most importantly, she lets customers know she uses daily the products she sells. “The better I feel, the better I can help others as well,” she said.
See the full executive style photo spread in the Dec. 16, 2019, print edition.
