11-Year-Old's Lemonade Recipe That Saves The Bees Turns Into Million Dollar Business
March 31, 2016
An 11-year-old girl has turned her grandmother's secret lemonade recipe into a national business -- and she is donating ten percent of the proceeds to saving the bees.
Rodolfo Gonzalez / Austin American-Statesman via AP
When Mikaila Ulmer learned about the dwindling bee population and the danger it posed to our food chain, she had to do something to help them.
She decided she could add local honey to her lemonade and sell it, with a portion of her profit going to international groups working to protect the pollinators.
Addressing a panel of potential investors on "Shark Tank" last year, Mikaila pitched BeeSweet. The pitch convinced Fubu CEO Daymond John to invest $60,000 — and the buzz only grew louder from there.
BeeSweet later scored a contract with Whole Foods, which initially agreed to sell the product in regional stores. The news got even better earlier this month at the South by Southwest Festival: While being honored alongside other black innovators, the sixth-grader announced an expanded distribution deal through United Natural Foods, according to NBC BLK. And it's a multimillion-dollar deal at that, TheGrio reports.
Currently, the 11 year-old entrepreneur is busy working on new flavors — and new business ideas for her once-skeptical friends who now are eager to start their own businesses.
"At first, they didn’t believe me," she told NBC News. "Now I am helping my friends start their own businesses."
Click Here For The Most Popular On Sunny Skyz
Alligator Filmed Climbing In A Fence In South Carolina
Dog Completely Changes From Black To White
Woman's Post Sparks A Flood Of Heartfelt Kindness Stories, And Tears Are Flowing Everywhere
Local Police Department Makes Public Statement To Community On Taylor Swift's New Album
Rainn Wilson Gets A 'The Office' Style Room Service Surprise On Vacation
Pawsitively Pampered: Park Ranger Gives Lions Foot Massages
Alligator Filmed Climbing In A Fence In South Carolina
Little Boy Explains Where 'Ladies First' Comes From
Alligator's 'Cartoonish' Retreat From Dog's Bark Goes Viral – Laughter Guaranteed!
Unlikely Friendship Sparks When Boy Mistakes Multimillionaire For Homeless Man
Carly Rae Jepsen Puts Security Guard On The Spot And He Delivers