07/13/2026
One year ago today, we began. 🌻
For months leading up to our first event, I had been daydreaming about starting a lemonade trailer (if you know me, you know I’m always dreaming about something). But for so long, that’s all it was—a daydream. We talked about it, I wondered if we’d ever be brave enough to take the leap, had no idea where to start, and constantly asked, “What if it fails?”
Then, on July 3, 2025, devastating floods struck Texas.
Like so many others, our hearts broke for the families and communities affected. Our oldest daughter, Shelby, who was just five years old at the time, was especially heartbroken. She looked at us and said she knew exactly what we needed to do:
“Sell the lemonade and help the people.”
So that’s exactly what we did.
Together, we created Shelby’s Stand for Texas, and with it, we finally took the leap we now had both been dreaming about. What started as one little lemonade stand became the official launch of The Sunflower Beverage Company LLC.
Through Shelby’s stand, our community came together to raise over $1,000 for TEXSAR (Texas Search and Rescue). And now one year later, our hearts and prayers still remain with everyone who experienced unimaginable loss and hardship.
Watching Shelby’s compassion with that event reminded us why we wanted to build this business in the first place. Our girls are our greatest inspiration, and everything we do—from serving our customers to giving back to our community—is ultimately for them and the example we hope to set and a future we are working to provide for them.
Since that first stand, this little dream has grown into something we once only imagined. We’ve served hundreds of drinks, met incredible people, laughed through long days, worked countless late nights, and built something our little family is incredibly proud of.
This business has given us the opportunity to serve our community, support causes close to our hearts, save toward our family’s future, and teach others ( especially our daughters) that kindness, generosity, and hard work truly matter.
It hasn’t always been easy, but every event, every customer, every challenge, and every lesson has shaped this dream into what it is today. And somehow, it still feels like we’re just getting started.
One of the questions we hear most often is, “Why the sunflower?”
The answer is simple.
When Shelby and I started talking about what this business should become, and learning all the things we have to do to get officially started, we knew we wanted its name to honor someone who meant the world to us—my Grandma, her great grandma Sue.
Our grandma passed on a short time before we started this. She was the kind of person who made everyone feel seen, welcomed, and loved. She knew kindness cost nothing, and she lived that belief every single day.
When she was diagnosed with a rare and fast acting cancer of the heart, we stayed faithfully by her side throughout her journey. Early on, I gave her a sunflower—her favorite flower—and a card ( with a big Sunflower on it) that read:
“You are my sunshine. No matter what you go through, I will be with you.”
From that moment on, the sunflower (like her) became a symbol of hope, love, strength, and showing up for people—especially during life’s hardest moments.
That’s the legacy we hope to carry on through this business and pass down to our daughters and to the people we serve.
Shelby & I decided, we would name the business, “The Sunflower Beverage Co.”.
Over this past year, we’ve been honored to donate more than $1,800 back into causes that matter to us, from supporting the victims of the Texas floods that inspired our beginning, to sponsoring pet adoptions through our local Humane Foundation and animal shelters, supporting the Alzheimer’s Association, helping replace trees lost in our community after the March 2026 tornado, and providing free drinks and donations to families affected by that storm, we just touched the surface of all we hope to do.
Giving back isn’t something we do because we own a business.
It’s the reason we started one.
To us, the sunflower represents choosing kindness, even after the storm. It’s about being the happiness, the light, in what may be someone’s very dark day.
To every customer who has stood in line, every event organizer who believed in us, every friend who shared a post, and every family member who squeezed lemons, hauled trailers, entertained our girls during long event days, or simply encouraged us along the way—thank you.
You are part of this story, and this first year would not have been possible without you.
Here’s to Year Two.
More sunshine.
More lemonade.
More coffee.
More memories.
More opportunities to serve.
🌻 Life is short. Make it sweet.
With grateful hearts,
The Sunflower Beverage Company Crew
( Shelby, Alanna, Bryan, Hadley, Julie, Joe, Kylie, Emily & Chloe)
*STAY TUNED FOR A SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT FROM SHELBY ABOUT WHAT SHE WILL BE DOING FOR OUR ONE YEAR BUSINESSIVERSARY! 🤫👀😊
