šµ A 14 year old Freehold teen has become an entrepreneur
šµ He launched his own soda and coffee company last spring
šµ Part of the proceeds helps local charities each month
FREEHOLD ā A Monmouth County teenager who has had a really tough time finding a job decided to do the next best thingāhe started his own business.
In March, 14-year-old Lucas Salzman, a freshman at Freehold Township High School launched his own soda and coffee company called Lueās Brew.
How it Started
āAs a 14 year old itās kind of hard to find a job. Not many places accept 14-year-olds. But I still wanted to get work experience. I wanted to have responsibilities and make my own money. So, I decided it would probably be easier to start my own business,ā Salzman said.
He was not quite sure at first what kind of company he wanted, but an idea sparked within him when his younger brother and sister had a lemonade stand. His mom, who knew someone who roasted coffee beans, wanted to add coffee sales to the lemonade stand.
Salzman then got the idea to launch not only a line of coffees, specifically nitro cold brews, but different flavored sodas, as well.
Once he got the idea, the high school freshman and his mother, Lindsay Abbate, who used to run a cafĆ© out of her familyās bakery, Abbate Bakery in Matawan, decided to research companies to make the syrups and seltzers for the sodas. But, he was looking for a reliable company that would not use any harsh ingredients. This was very important to him.
Soon, he settled on Private Label Specialties in Goffstown, New Hampshire, and Lueās Brew was born.
While the New Hampshire company makes the sodas, itās Salzman who has creative control.
He makes all the decisions and picks all the flavors.
Products and Flavors
Lueās Brew consists of several different flavors of craft sodas, nitro cold brew coffees, roasted coffee beans, and a line of gelato which Lucas scoops out during private events.
Popular soda flavors include root beer, cream soda, raspberry lime, lemonade, ginger beer, orange cream, black cherry, and strawberry, to name a few. The young teen also added sarsaparilla and birch beer to his soda lineup.
āThey contain all-natural cane sugar, they contain no caffeine, and they have less of the harmful chemicals that youāll usually find in Coke or other soda,ā Salzman said.
The high schoolerās favorite flavor is root beer and he said this is probably the most popular soda flavor sold in stores and online.
Where are Lueās Brews sold?
The sodas and coffees are sold in approximately 40 stores around New Jersey including Jersey Freeze in Freehold, DāAngelos in Freehold and Princeton, The Food Emporium in Marlboro, Delicious Orchards in Colts Neck, Mambo Italiano in Colts Neck, Confections of a Rockstar in Asbury Park, Mugsyās Mercantile in Point Pleasant Beach, and more. A full list of locations can be found on the Lue's Brew website.
The products are also sold online.
Lueās Brew will also come to you. If youāre having a private party or a private event, Salzman has a whole soda, coffee, and gelato setup specifically for such gatherings.
Giving Back
While Salzman wanted to start his own business and make some money, he also wanted to do something to give back to his community.
Therefore, each month, he donates a portion of his profits from the soda and coffee sales to a different local charity.
Since the sodas have been on store shelves and online since April, he has taken 10% of his profits to help organizations such as Liv Like a Unicorn (pediatric cancer), The Stephanie Nicole Parze Foundation (domestic violence and sexual abuse), and The Family Autism Network. He also donated money to a UFC fighter and his family to help pay medical bills.
For this monthās local charity, Salzman has chosen The American Cancer Society. Novemberās charity has not been chosen yet.
What does it feel like to be a young entrepreneur? āItās pretty cool. I get a lot of people who recognize me who I donāt even know,ā Salzman said. But he said heās been learning a lot about being a businessman.
As Salzman continues his success with Lueās Brew, he also announced that heās working on a line of nitro cold brew teas set to hopefully launch in the next couple of months.
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