Local family comes together to build gourmet lemonade company

The Henry family working at Family Tree Lemonade Co., during a local outdoor event. | Courtesy photo AMMON — Jeff Henry and his family of seven were shocked in July 2024 when doctors discovered his heart was operating at just 12% capacity. He was diagnosed with dilated cardiomyopathy and had to undergo surgery to install a pacemaker and defibrillator. As a father, his family came first to his mind and his fears. “My wife Candice and I really wanted to come up with a way to keep our family together,” Jeff said. Out of five children, two have already aged up and moved out, but starting up a business was something everyone could agree on. “I always wanted to figure out a way to start a food truck of some sort,” Jeff said. “Over this last year or so, we’ve dealt with a lot of health issues and different things that helped us change our perspective on what’s important. We decided to live our dreams instead of just putting everything off.” The result is Family Tree Lemonade Co. The company motto, “Where Family Grows and Lemonade Flows,” points to the values and priorities of the Henry family. Their menu currently has eight options between $7 and $8, all of which have a base of fresh-squeezed lemons. “Mojito Lemonade” features lime and fresh mint. The “Poppin Colada” includes pineapple, coconut, sweet cream, and mango-popping boba. “Peachy Passion” is made with passion fruit, passion fruit boba, and peach-o-rings as a decadent sweet treat. Other varieties include the Blue Lagoon, Cotton Cloud Lemonade, Guava Glow, Black Dragon, and Strawberry Dreamaid. “We try to make a really aesthetically pleasing product,” said Candice. “And we hand-wash every lemon, whether we have one case or 10 cases. All our drinks come in the big, giant (32-ounce) Florida cup.” Courtesy photo Candice experiments with new formulas to add to the menu during downtime at events. “If there are times when we are not very busy, I start mixing things and coming up with different flavors,” she said. “We started adding the boba pearls because it makes the drinks look really fun. There is a lot to play with and explore.” The Henrys have set up shop at 13 different local events since opening in May. “At one of our biggest events, business was non-stop,” said Candice. “It was kind of cool to see how we all came together; we made an assembly line where we all knew what our job was. Watching the kids jump into action was awesome. At the end, we felt a huge rush. Watching our youngest (who is twelve years old) be able to run the register and take orders is really cool. It’s pushing him to grow his skills.” Jeff and his wife, Candice – both born and raised in Idaho Falls – have worked for Bonneville Joint School District 93 for 27 years. Candice is the head custodian at Black Canyon Middle School, while Jeff occupies the same position at Rocky Mountain Middle School. Courtesy photo The Henrys have approached the lemonade business seriously, utilizing local resources for guidance and support. “First, we went to the Small Business Development Alliance, yeah, and they helped us through the whole process of starting an LLC,” said Jeff. “They have a wealth of knowledge. (Frosty Wilson) walked us through getting our LLC registered with the state, and getting all of our tax stuff lined out, and making sure that we’re a legitimate business. That was, that was a big, big help.” Currently, Family Tree Lemonade Co. operates out of a pop-up tent, but the Henrys have already purchased a mobile food trailer to refurbish and expand their business. “We want to get to a point where we can split up and have multiple things going at the same time,” said Candice. “We could have some of the kids doing an event with the tent, while we can be somewhere else with the trailer.” “I think the biggest motivation for me, more than making money or anything, is just building something cool that we can all do together,” Jeff said. “We had a local sign company make us a big, giant Instagram photo booth, and it looks like an Instagram page, with all our information around the thing. Our customers can take selfies with it, it’s really fun.” You can find upcoming events they will be attending on their social media pages. Some confirmed events include the Community Market at 350 College Street in Idaho Falls from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 23rd; Spud Days in Shelley on Sept. 20th; and the Witches Market Street Fair at 429 B Street in downtown Idaho Falls on Sunday, Oct. 12th, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. You can find Family Tree Lemonade Co. on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok. Courtesy photo The post Local family comes together to build gourmet lemonade company appeared first on East Idaho News.
Source: eastidahonews.com