When Amir Mostafavi graduated from Virginia Tech in the late 1990s, he thought he knew exactly what his future would look like.
Unlike his entrepreneur father, who left academia to launch a successful chain of video stores in Northern Virginia, Mostafavi imagined a more traditional path: a corporate job, a steady paycheck, and a predictable career.
It didn’t take Mostafavi long to realize he was wrong. After landing a position at a large consulting firm, he found himself restless.
“I was just very bored every day,” Mostafavi says. “I realized I’d rather be busy than bored.”
Entrepreneurial Beginnings
That epiphany eventually led to South Block, the homegrown smoothie, juice, and açaí bowl company that grew from a single storefront in Clarendon into one of the Washington region’s most recognizable wellness brands. Today, the company operates 25 locations, employs nearly 400 people, and is expanding into new markets across the East Coast.
Yet, Mostafavi measures success differently. The roots of that philosophy can be traced back to his childhood.
Mostafavi, who was raised in McLean, grew up watching entrepreneurship firsthand. His father, an Iranian immigrant, left his job as a university professor to open a chain of independent video stores called Box Office.
The family business succeeded because it became part of the community. Employees knew customers by name. They offered recommendations. They built relationships.
“The reason we were successful wasn’t because we were bigger,” Mostafavi says. “It was because we knew the community.”
The lesson stayed with him. Years later, while traveling in Southern California, Mostafavi became fascinated by the region’s juice bars and smoothie shops. The concepts were largely absent in the Washington area at the time.
He saw an opportunity. In 2006, he opened a small smoothie shop inside George Washington University’s Health and Wellness Center. The business, Campus Fresh, became what Mostafavi jokingly calls his “master’s degree in business.”
The experience taught him far more than how to run a smoothie shop. By sponsoring student events, supporting organizations, and becoming involved in campus life, he discovered that community engagement was every bit as important as the product itself.
Five years later, Mostafavi was ready for his next chapter.
In 2011, he signed a lease for a small storefront at the corner of 11th and Garfield streets in Clarendon. The shop sat on what locals called the south block, but Mostafavi wanted the name to stand for more than geography. He wanted to create community on that block.
And thus, South Block was born.
Steps to Success
“It took a couple of years to really find our stride,” says Mostafavi. But once they did, the concept resonated.
One of South Block’s most devoted customers is Arlington-based ultra-marathon runner Michael Wardian.
“I love them so much,” Wardian says. “Amir is a great guy and really cares about the community and health.”
For Wardian, the appeal extends beyond convenience.
“I love South Block because they provide super fresh healthy foods quickly at affordable prices,” he says. “I enjoy their fresh juices, açaí bowls, and tasty snacks.”
Another loyal customer is Daniela Salazar of Leesburg, who says South Block has become a regular part of her routine.
“It’s always fresh and always consistent,” she says. “They’re constantly coming up with new and trending products, and they have a really good rewards program. It’s one of those places you keep coming back to because they’re always introducing something new.”
To those who work alongside Mostafavi, the company’s popularity is no surprise.
“The word visionary comes to mind,” says Alex Lawrence, South Block’s director of marketing. “He’s very humble and strongly believes that great ideas can come from anybody in the room. He empowers people to lean into areas they may not have done before, and he’s really good at letting people test and learn.”
Adam Kramer, South Block’s senior vice president of supply chain and information technology, has worked alongside Mostafavi for more than a decade.
“Amir leads by example,” Kramer says. “A lot of people talk the talk, but Amir really stands behind what he says. He’s still the hardest-working person at South Block.”
Giving Back
That sense of purpose extends beyond the company’s walls. Growing up, Mostafavi witnessed financial hardship firsthand, he says. After the Iranian Revolution disrupted his father’s academic funding, the family found themselves struggling financially while raising four children.
“We relied on help,” he says.
The experience never left him, nor did the memory of the families who helped his own. In 2019, shortly before his mother’s death, Mostafavi launched Fruitful Planet, a nonprofit dedicated to fighting food insecurity through fresh produce donations. Since its founding, the organization has distributed more than 100,000 pounds of fruits and vegetables to families in need.
Mostafavi, now 50, still visits stores, attends grand openings, develops products, and works to protect the culture that made South Block successful in the first place.
Cultivating Culture
Despite the success, Mostafavi admits growth wasn’t always smooth. After rapidly scaling from three to seven locations, he realized something wasn’t working.
The problem wasn’t the product; it was the culture. Rather than continuing to chase expansion, he stepped back and immersed himself in leadership development, organizational culture, and employee training.
“We sell smoothies,” he says, “but we’re really in the people-development business.” The result was a renewed focus on leadership, mentorship, and employee growth.
South Block crafted its own training program, known as Kale University, and invested heavily in creating opportunities for employees to grow within the organization.
“We really developed this whole idea of being a people-first company,” Kramer says. “If you treat your people well and include them in the decision-making, they’re going to take ownership and responsibility. They’re going to treat it like it’s their company, too.”
The philosophy extends all the way to the front counter. “Page one of our employee handbook says your job is to make people feel awesome,” Kramer says. “If you can do that, you’re going to be successful here.”
“It’s always been about people,” he says.
Feature image by Sarah Galaviz, courtesy South Block
This story originally ran in our August issue. For more stories like this, subscribe to Northern Virginia Magazine.
