Young entrepreneurs from Ponce win Lemonade Day ‘Entrepreneur of the Year’ ’21
Siblings Idian and Jariel Estrella — ages 12 and 9, respectively — founders and owners of the Limonadas con Amor y Propósito lemonade stand won the Lemonade Day Puerto Rico Entrepreneur of the Year Award, the nonprofit announced.
More than 1,000 children participated in the third edition of the Lemonade Day Puerto Rico youth entrepreneurship event, which held its Lemonade Day event on June 12. The award was announced during a closing celebration activity for the young entrepreneurs and their families in the Botanical and Cultural Garden of Caguas.
“In Puerto Rico there are success stories, and one of them is that of the Estrella siblings. Through this experience, the duo has learned to work as a team to achieve their goals as entrepreneurs to spend, save and share their profits for the wellbeing of their community,” said Natalia Subirá, director of the Lemonade Day program in Puerto Rico.
“They also showed perseverance, because they adopted what they learned the previous year to set their product apart, maximize sales, and win the grand prize. We thank our sponsors for supporting our entrepreneurs and their families,” she said.
The Estrella kids also won the Best Lemonade Award in the southwest region competition. During Lemonade Day, Limonadas con Amor y Propósito exceeded expectations of customers and profits because of the marketing strategies learned through the workshops offered in the program on product branding and social media promotion.
Of the profits generated the team of young entrepreneurs decided to save part and share a portion with Tiberiades Inc., a nonprofit organization whose mission is to reach the homeless in their hometown of Ponce and neighboring municipalities.
“When we got to Ponce and visited their grandparents, I cried, as they, so excitedly, explained the blessing of being selected Entrepreneurs of the Year,” said Myriam Matos, mother of the Estrella siblings. “Jariel said, I never imagined it, not even in a thousand years.”
The Entrepreneur of the Year competition also recognized the participations of Emil Lugo, from San Germán, and his business, Creative Lemonade by Emil, with the second-place award; and Elián Santana, from Carolina, and his business, Limonadas Rico Rico, with the third-place award.
During the closing celebration, Lemonade Day Puerto Rico also announced the winners of the Best Lemonade Stand — Elimar Vázquez, from Carolina, owner of Lemonade by Lizbeth — and Best Brand contests — sisters Amllilie, Rachelys and Sophia Encarnación, from Canóvanas, owners of Oasis Lemonade.
“Entrepreneurship is the basis of our economy. The Estrella siblings are part of a new strain of Puerto Rican entrepreneurs, who dare to take risks and overcome obstacles to attain success,” said Tere Nolla, executive director of the Center for Economic Renewal, Growth and Excellence (CRECE), entity that holds the Lemonade Day’s license in Puerto Rico.
“We congratulate all the young entrepreneurs, who with the support of their families, mentors and communities, participated in Lemonade Day this year. They are the future of a strong and vibrant economy and, with them in mind, we have to work to create an agile and competitive business environment that fosters economic growth and opportunity,” she said.
