Better Blend, the smoothie and acai bowl franchise that Isaac Hamlin launched out of Florence in 2018, will reach 20 locations across three states when two new Cincinnati-area stores open later this year.

The company announced Thursday, July 16, that it will open in Hyde Park Plaza at 3842 Paxton Ave., taking over the former Bruegger's Bagels space, and at 7330 Kenwood Road in Sycamore Township, moving into the shuttered Blue Ash Nails II storefront. The Hyde Park location is set to open Saturday, Aug. 8, 2026. The Sycamore Township store is targeted for early fall, according to the announcement.

Better Blend remains headquartered in Florence.

"We're very excited to continue to grow across Ohio," Hamlin said in the July 16 announcement. "All the support from our communities is what has made this possible, and we couldn't be more grateful."

Hamlin, a University of Kentucky graduate who developed his smoothie recipes as a rugby player, built the original Florence location by hand with help from his family. In a 2025 Voyage Ohio profile, he described maxing out eight credit cards and working Amazon night shifts to fund the startup because no bank would lend to him.

That scrappy beginning has turned into a franchise spanning Ohio, Kentucky, and Florida. Better Blend's menu includes low-sugar, high-protein smoothies in more than 20 flavors, plus acai bowls with add-ons like creatine, collagen, and probiotics.

The Hyde Park store will be the next to open on Aug. 8. No specific date has been set for the Sycamore Township location beyond early fall 2026.