In these times of uncertainty, many people have begun working at home due to the novel coronavirus pandemic. The change in setting is new. But some of these people are enjoying the luxury of working at home, keeping the faith for better days.
School is over. The daycare is closed. Camps are scrapped off. Parents need a break from it all, especially after a long day of work on zoom meetings and occasional interruptions from the kids. Joose drinks, founded in 2017, might be the thing that you’re looking for to help you unwind and relax.
Central State University graduate André Lloyd said it came to him as a way to make extra money for his upcoming wedding at the time when asked about how Joose drinks were started. “I hadn’t seen many people in the Columbus, Ohio area making ‘adult Capri suns.’ So I launched Joose drinks,” he told HBCU Buzz via email, adding “I have always enjoyed making drinks and experimenting with different flavors, so I decided to test a few out and the rest is history.”
Joose drinks have since become popular among strangers and friends. The road to success is a bumpy ride though. However, the black college graduate noted his background in customer service and attention to detail for aiding him in smoothing the kinks during his journey. For those wanting to take advantage of their downtime during this quarantine craziness and create something, he added just staying true to what he knows and his consumer base helps too.
Of what is attractive to consumers in purchasing items from Joose drinks, Lloyd said “The people love the product — just learning and listening to my consumer feedback has been key in keeping a good core base.” He continued, “I think most people love the convenience of the pouches as they’re very easy to travel with, are reusable, and hold a lot for the amount.”
“Also I have popsicles, can make it by the half-gallon, and gallon size featuring new and exciting flavors. So being able to cater to those needs of my consumers is important to me and I think it is what makes my brand unique.”
When asked about the black college experience and how CSU impacted his life personally and professionally, Lloyd said the biggest thing that life on the yard taught him was how to adapt to any situation as well as how to network. “I used those skills to start making more money for myself and am expanding more and more,” he said.
A “good buzz” for the Summertime
For the Spring and Summer, Lloyd has a blue raspberry lemonade (Bad & Boozie), which has been a #1 seller for the past year. He has a fan favorite Long Island Iced Tea (Quaran-Tea), affectionately named as a play on words during this pandemic. He also has an Orange Peach Lemonade (Just Peachy) in stock. Lloyd told us that these flavors are all super fun and good, and have a good buzz for the Summertime, and so far his consumer base loves them.
“In the next 5-10 years I see myself opening a food truck (I love to cook as well) and merging my juice drinks brand with my food truck and seeing where that will take me,” Lloyd said, adding “I just love being creative and finding new ways to express that. I also love to see people enjoying good food with good drinks and I believe that’s my passion.”
The sky’s the limit for Joose drinks. Lloyd already shared with us that one of his biggest achievements while on this journey was meeting up with a local restaurant owner a year ago and having her try his Joose drinks and networking. “And also being able to create another avenue of income to help support me and my family,” he said.
You can contact André Lloyd on Facebook.
