Students at the University of Indianapolis can enjoy the summer and support a student business with lemonade. According to the Chris’s Yummynade website, the business offers “any flavor of lemonade possible,” and is run by sophomore sociology major Christian Bush. Chris’s Yummynade began in 2022, Bush said, and had an unexpected success.
“I started in high school due to my economics class, which we did a small pop-up shop individually and I decided to do lemonade because my mother used to do it during my junior football season,” Bush said. “It started from there and it succeeded, which I didn’t really expect, but it did and it sold out that same day with sugar-free flavors as well.”
According to Bush, the main inspiration behind Chris’s Yummynade came from his mother. Bush also said his inspiration came from how unique the idea of a lemonade business was for the economics project he was given.
“My mom, when I was younger, she sold lemonade at my football games and everybody loved it,” Bush said. “I really wasn’t sure what I was going to sell at first, which it was kind of between food and drinks, but I decided to do lemonade. Nobody else was doing lemonades or beverages and it started from there and I just went, when I got home after I established what I was going to sell for my project. I just basically took a picture of myself and [illustrated] it a little bit and came up with a creative name for something not too outrageous, something just so simple.”
According to the business’ website, Chris’s Yummynade does not just offer lemonades, but also teas, merchandise and sea moss. According to Bush, he began to advertise the business to UIndy students last year, and is currently experimenting with the idea of promoting it in other states as well.
“I just need to start promoting even more,” Bush said. “I’m thinking about going to pop-up shops throughout Indy and probably down south as well, but just now it’s going good. Good enough for me right now, but I need to promote more so I can get to different audiences in different states as well.”
Bush, originally from Alabama, said he uses a church’s kitchen to create the drinks. Bush said creating a business like he has builds character, and has also played an important role in improving his self-esteem.
“It is important because it develops character, it takes patience,” Bush said. “It builds my self-esteem as well to be able to talk to people. I’m really shy so sometimes it really complicates it a little bit, but sometimes it doesn’t.”
Bush said his favorite memory with Chris’s Yummynade was meeting comedian and actor Mike Epps. According to Bush, this helped build his confidence in himself and the business. Bush said putting smiles on client’s faces is also a favorite aspect of running a business.
“I always thought I would be so scared to even meet someone like Mike Epps for example,” Bush said. “I was not scared to meet him. He made us feel welcomed and then they made us feel welcomed in his neighborhood. He lives here and has a big neighborhood that he’s rebuilt. It came with rebuilding my confidence.”
Students who are looking to start their own business should think outside the box, Bush said, and it is important to know when to take a break. Eventually Bush wants to have a physical store for Chris’s Yummynade.
“I plan on having my own store one day where I can just ship out of and put different stores in different cities to expand my business and get people talking more about it,” Bush saidStudents who are looking to buy products from Chris’s Yummynade can email Chrissyummynade@gmail.com or the visit website. Students can be updated on product drops by following @chrissyummynade on Instagram.
image sources
- Copy of chris22 Large: Photo by Breanna Emmett
