Royally Squeezed

All was well for The Big Squeeze. Upon completion of a successful first half of the baseball season, the business was running smoothly, a solid customer base was built, the product was widely enjoyed and profits were being realized. However, back in December when the home made lemonade business was started, the entrepreneurs didn’t factor into their business plan that their largest battle wasn’t going to be squeaking out a profit, but surviving the jealousy, envy, trash talking and back stabbing of the other food vendors on Kirby Puckett Plaza. Ending recently by the heel of a global corporation swiftly squashing the dream that was The Big Squeeze, to recapture the meager earnings they made..A sour ending to a once sweet enterprise.

Back in December, my roommate Capitan Adam and his two brothers Big P and J Stew conceptualized a dream. A significant part of their summers growing up, all at some point worked at a freshly squeezed lemonade stand named Rob’s Lemonade. Rob vended at different street festivals and summer fests. It was here their passion for lemonade began, as they learned the ropes of the business and honed their squeezing and shaking technique. Mastering the trade, it was time to go into business for themselves, start their own stand and own their own business. A way to earn some extra money with their free time, but more importantly have some fun and make some damn good lemonade.

The cold winter months were spent in a garage planning the business and hand building the Cadillac of lemonade stands. Two of them. These weren’t stands, but were essentially a small kitchen on wheels. With the onset of spring, meeting after meeting, they interviewed with directors of summer festivals, parks and plazas trying to find a home to vend for the summer. After several interviews it became discouraging. Everyone wanted some new twist on freshly squeezed lemonade. As if it wasn’t good enough already. Some wanted 100% organic – organic lemons, organic sugar. Sounds good except for the product wasn’t so good, and the margins were shot. Some required a fruit smoothie component with the stand. This again was expensive, and took them away from their primary focus – making some damn good lemonade. Finally, they interviewed with the Minnesota Twins. Before every home game on Kirby Puckett Plaza outside the Metrodome the Twins offer a variety of activities for the fans. A live band (generally some local act you remember being pissed off at one night for having to a pay cover at your local pub because they were) games, contests, player autographs, and numerous vendors. Brats, popcorn, ribs, beer, mini doughnuts and more.

The Twins loved their idea. Budweiser and Coke products being the only beverages offered at the Metrodome, freshly made lemonade gave fans an alternative choice to liquor or soda.

An official business had to be incorporated first in order to become a vendor of the Twins. This is where I stepped in… A brainstorming secession took place one night over a couple beverages and yours truly came up with the name The Big Squeeze. Soon after, I drew up a working copy of the logo for the company. Upon the signing of a contract, The Big Squeeze became the official fresh lemonade of the Minnesota Twins, the cups went to print, and they were to be there to vend at every home game. This was a terrific opportunity, as the Twins are currently constructing a brand new outdoor stadium, getting in as a vendor meant possibly securing rights to work the new park as well.

With a late spring, opening day for the Big Squeeze was when the Bronx Bombers came to town in late May. After a rainy first day of business, and $25 gross sales, doubts of the businesses success loomed. These were quickly forgotten the next day. A hot early summer day, the reception was overwhelming and business was frantic, selling out of product both Saturday and Sunday games. Business continued to flourish every sunny game day from then on. The Big Squeeze established themselves quickly as a force on Kirby Puckett Plaza and were soon welcomed by other vendors with the carnie initiation of trading food. Publicity was mounting as well. The yellow Big Squeeze collector cups were seen all over inside and outside the Metrodome. Pictures were featured on the Twins website and the stand was even featured on Fox Sports Network during pregame broadcasts. A small fan club started consisting of an unusual collection of really strange individuals that patroned the vendor plaza with no intention what so ever of going into the baseball game. Not homeless, but deranged, merely there to chat with vendors and maybe scare up some free left over food. With one free lemonade, stories were told of which vendors always have left over food, and where they throw it away. Most specifically the roasted corn on the cob guy, who throws away sometimes bags of uneaten corn. Notes were taken. The success of the Big Squeeze was noticed. Thoroughly enjoyed by the fans, it became increasingly aware it was not liked by all. After seeing The Big Squeeze’s first successful day, it started with the cold glare of the other beverage vendors during set up. This unspoken animosity soon turned evident and nasty. You started to over hear the Budweiser vendors yelling to the crowd “Lemonade sucks…buy beer!” The coke vendors came over and started questioning the source of the water being used. The popcorn lady came over, who no doubt had relationships with the other beverage vendors, bought a lemonade and said “This Sucks” and dumped it out. It seemed any day a pack of scraggily drunken vendors would wonder up and circle the stand. “Well well well…Wadda we gots heeaahhh...Looks like we’s gotst aww selves a lem'nade stand here boys.. Your kind isn’t welcome in these parts no mo. Infact, yous was neverwelcome round heeahh.”

This tension built up until finally last week, The Big Squeeze received a voice mail from the Minnesota Twins stating that they received a complaint from the Coca Cola Corporation, that The Big Squeeze was eating into their profits too much. Also, that the relationship with the Big Squeeze violated their pre-existing contract with the Twins that included the sale of their lemonade product - Minute Maid Lemonade. The iron fist of corporate America intervened to snuff out a locally owned hand made lemonade stand. Not only is Minute Maid lemonade less than 5% juice, it is bottled, and filled with artificial flavoring and high fructose corn syrup. A far cry from a freshly cut lemon, water and sugar – shaken not stirred.

Completely ignoring not only the difference in product, but the fact that many fans enjoyed the product, it is made by a local company not to mention that - holy shit – kids like lemonade – the Twins revoked the The Big Squeeze’s contract to make hand made lemonade and asked them to not come back. Lawyers are currently being spoken to. Unfortunately the Coca Cola Corporation has much deeper pockets than this home based lemonade business. In the end, even if some sort of settlement could be reached, that is not of significance. It is the death of a dream. The loss of the smile on a child’s face when they take a sip of their first hand made lemonade. If the game is truly for the fans, the spineless, cowardly Minnesota Twins had no problem immediately dropping to their knees with a simple wave by corporate America. Sacrificing their ethics, and the over all quality of enjoyment of the fans - who they pretend to care so much about - who they want to make the journey to spend their hard earned wages on small market baseball in a half empty bubble, and now can't even drink a fresh lemonade on a hot day. Kirby no doubt looks down on his plaza in shame.