Record months, awards, new stores OH MY!

It's been awhile since I've posted. This morning I am writing from my home aboard our sailboat.  It's a cool overcast morning at the harbor and the barking of dozens of sea lions on the docks are distracting my thoughts! I can't believe we are closing in on the start of our 7th year. So here is an update of the whirlwind of action we have been experiencing here at LOL. 

In April we were chosen for American Small Business Champion 2018, SCORE/Sam's Club award for California.  I flew to Reno for an all expense paid trip for business training with 101 other award winners from across the country and learned a ton about how to run my business more efficiently. 

From Reno, it was off to New York (my first time to NY!) to the Fancy Food Show and celebrate the sofi Silver Award for our Ginger Lemonade presented to us by the Specialty Food Association in a worldwide competition of over 3000 products.  In New York we met with buyers, including an 8k store chain and media as we attended special events for the winners.

Our win in NY led to a call from a wonderful buyer from Cost Plus World Market in July who believed our lemonade might be a perfect fit for their stores! We have spent the last two months preparing for the launch and our lemonades should be arriving in select 212 stores nationwide this week and next!

As if that wasn't enough excitement for one fiscal year, we were nominated by Dianne de Malley of DDM Metering Systems, Inc for the Pacific Coast Business Times/SBA Spirit of Small Business Award - Woman Owned Business in August and attended the annual luncheon at the Biltmore, Santa Barbara to receive the award.

And there is more....! Kiplinger Personal Finance Magazine is featuring us on their October 2018 issue titled "Second Acts" describing our journey from the startup of our lemonade company as I was desperate to help defray college costs for my kids.

It's been a whirlwind of a year - We are grateful for the continued support of our Ambassador Team,  customers, friends, family, suppliers, distributors, retailers and everyone else who believes in us every day. 

I've learned the importance of a balance sheet (after 6 years!) and I am working hard to continue to bring the highest quality lemonade to the market while doing it in a sustainable way to ensure the health of our company.  I've learned more this year than any other year in how to operate my business and couldn't have done that without the mentors and advisors I've had along the way, including
SCORE. 

As we wind down this year's lemonade season, we are looking forward to the exciting opportunities that lay around the next corner for us.  Part of the thrill is coming into the office every day wondering what is going to happen next!

I appreciate each and everyone of you and am grateful for the opportunity to be involved in one of the most amazing industries.

Thank you!

Lori, Chief Believer
Lori's Original Lemonade

a day in the life of lemonade while living aboard a boat...

It's 430 am on Saturday morning... our new lemonades are here!!

With the excitement of the new bottles of lemonade arriving yesterday in Ventura, its like having a new baby - there's pictures to take, people to share it with and the general excitement has taken away my need for sleep. I held the finished bottles for the first time yesterday and appreciated all of the months of work that went into creating these two new flavors with our growing team. They were warm from the pallets sitting in the sun that had been delivered yesterday. The beautiful new Wild Strawberry has lived up to its name. Like a wild child, this flavor had so many challenges, from labels, to ingredients, at every turn it was keeping us on our toes. But seeing it now wrapped in a newly updated label design with the bright red color from the California strawberries, blending with the bright label colors I was in love. As soon as I popped the top the smells from the lemon and strawberries were perfectly sweet. The taste was amazing - sweet, lemony, balanced, perfectly delicious.

Next was the Original Lemonade. So easy was this one - though we did have to change the name at the last minute as another drink had the same name... This is our base recipe, the start of all of the lemonades, truly the original that we started with on the driveway before we added the lavender. It is in the purest form and the label, brilliantly designed by our dedicated designer, Aaryn brought out the essence of the love that we put into our company. As I held the bottle for the first time I admired the brilliant colors on the label that don't come across on the computer. The color was purely lemon and as I popped the top I smelled the fresh, organic lemon juice that we use in our drinks. The fresh warm scent of lemonade transported me back to the moments I created this recipe for our kid's lemonade stand years ago, now in a surreal realm realizing we have served almost a million people our little family recipe... I think of the farmers that don't have to suffer pesticide because we only use organic ingredients. I feel the love that has gone into months of planning for this lemonade. So many people have been asking for a plain lemonade and I resisted for so long. But today, I know it was the right thing to do. This one has now become my husband Tom's favorite.

This morning from the warm little cocoon of Silent Lady has the sounds of the plankton tapping on the bottom of our boat and the sea lions are actively barking again (they never seem to sleep) as they inch closer trying to find places to get out of the water. The rigging drips onto the deck and as I look out the hatch above me it is still pitch black -

Five years in and I can hardly remember what life was like before lemonade - three and a half years living aboard Silent Lady has taught me again how to live in a minimalistic way and appreciate the ordinary things that you have while living in a land house that I took for granted.

It is another new day for our lemonade company and for that I'm grateful...

Lori Volk, Chief Believer

Lori's Original Lemonade

We are reviving the Blog!

Thanks to a boost from our team member Julia, I have decided to update our blog to Lunch With Lori. It has been more than 5 years now since I started LOL and I can't believe the amazing and crazy journey it has been .... I have been wanting to find a place to share my experiences of the good, bad and the ugly in what it takes to build a beverage business from nothing and now I have a place! Lunch with Lori is going to be a place to talk about what goes on behind the scenes at our Lemonade Company.

Can't wait to start sharing...

Cheers!

Lori, Chief Believer
Lori's Original Lemonade

Ojai Lavender Lemonade... a Mixer

courtesy of LOL Fan Andre

Our LOL fans have been very busy and creative!! Andre of Ojai has paired Vodka and Ojai Lavender Lemonade for a refreshing Lemon Drop Cooler! With the intense flavor from the pure organic fresh squeezed lemon juice and the organic sugar from Brazil in addition to the hint of our infusion of Lavender we have fans creating all kinds of unique and refreshing combinations in their favorite mixed drinks.

Watching your sugar?

We are too! While I am training for the Ironman, Arizona 2012, I am closely monitoring everything I eat and drink! I love to add mint tea or sparkling water to my LOL, pour it over ice with a slice of lemon to make a really good, refreshing and light LOL.  We like the idea of diluting as opposed to adding artificial sweeteners.  You still have the nice lemon and lavender with half the calories!

Send us your favorite recipe and enter to win an LOL Tshirt!

Do you know what is in your Lemonade??

While we have been making our lemonade for years with just fresh lemons, pure water, cane sugar and fresh lavender flowers we have found out that what is on the market isn't exactly simple and pure ingredients.  As a mom of three kids I realized early on that we needed to move to "whole foods" and less prepared "junk" and processed foods. Yes, they were convenient, but I realized that there were more additives than actual real food.  When we started Lori's Original Lemonade we started looking around at what was on the market shelves.  What we found was lots and lots of stuff we couldn't pronounce and a bunch of additives that helped to make the product "look better".  Concentrates, corn syrup, flavorings, colorings and other preservatives - non of which I wanted to serve our family.  Why do the manufacturers do this? Well, after calculating all of my costs I realize it is pure and simple - all of those things save money to the manufacturer.  That is why you can buy a 1/2 gallon of Lemonade for $3 or less! But, is that what you really want to drink? Just to save some money?  Every bottle/can/carton is exactly the same color, clarity and look every time! Why? Because they control it with additives, preservatives, and coloring.  Our Lemonades are organic, and what you see on the label is what you get - real foods, real product and not to mention we have tasted just about every lemonade we can get our hands on and we have to say that LOL is possibly the best lemonade we have ever tasted! Try it yourself and let us know what you think at www.facebook.com/LorisOriginalLemonade

Did you know these lavender facts?

• The word lavender comes from the Latin word lavare – to wash.
• In the 1920’s French chemist Rene Gattefosse accidentally plunged his severely burned hand into lavender oil instead of water.  The pain eased and the burn healed quickly.  He later published his research under the title of Aromatherapie and is now recognized as the founder of aromatherapy.
• Queen Victoria insisted that lavender be used in every room … servants were even instructed to use lavender when washing floors.
• Queen Elizabeth I drank lavender tea to control her migraine headaches, enjoyed lavender conserve at the royal table and wore the scent as perfume.
• Lavender has been used as an herb for over 2,500 years.
• The ancient Phoenicians and Egyptians used lavender for perfume and for mummification.
• “Woodsy”, “sweet”, “herbaceous”, “pungent”, “citrus” and “floral” are characteristics that are used to describe lavender.
• Grosso (technically a hybrid of English lavender L. augustifoia) was named after Pierre Grosso who first selected this species.  It is vibrant in both color and aroma and is an excellent choice for cut flowers and highly aromatic essential oil.
• Lavender is native to the Mediterranean and thrives in the hot, dry climate. In fact, it hates wet feet.
• The aromatic lavender flower has natural antiseptic and astringent properties that folk healers recognized centuries ago.
• The scent of lavender does not reduce pain but it does mitigate stress and anxiety … thus it helps to soften the memory of uncomfortable events.
• Set a bowl of lavender in a sunny window … the warmth of the sun will help to draw out the lavender aroma.
• Potpourris are said to not only freshen the air but to “lift the spirit.”

courtesy New Oak Ranch, Ojai CA

The wonderful scents of roses, the sweet smell of chocolate the relaxing and soothing scents of lavender - Lavender has a history dating back to Roman times. The scent of lavender has been soothing for many different applications, but incorporated into beverages adds a unique twist.  Lori's Original Lemonade has combined the unique delicate flowers of lavender and gently infused them into the fresh juice of organic lemons.  The result is a calming sense to the lemon - the delicate balance of flavors results in a refreshing and gently fragrant scent of lemon and lavender in a delicious beverage.  We have been making this lavender lemonade for years and now bring this wonderful beverage to you....