Kaylee Davis, 16, stood alongside her proud mother, Tishia Boldene, as her vision was celebrated by the community.
Four years ago, Davis began Squeezy Fresh, a cold-pressed juice company she launched at just 12 years old after discovering she had an acumen for creating tasty, healthy juice recipes. That took her from her kitchen to the farmer’s market – and on Thursday, it brought her to the grand opening of her own storefront as community leaders gathered at Squeezy Fresh Juice Bar for an official ribbon cutting ceremony, hosted by the River Region Chamber of Commerce and St. Charles Parish Economic Development.
“I feel like I’m seeing my dreams come true,” Davis said. “Everyone’s here supporting us … it feels amazing.”
This was a journey that began out of Davis’ desire to help her brother, DeVaughn, who suffers from a rare form of epilepsy that affects cognitive function – Boldene said it caused DeVaughn the loss of his memory entirely in the first grade.
She dived into researching ways to improve DeVaughn’s quality of life. Davis learned about feeding the brain and the healthiest ways to do so, and it brought her to kale, berries, watermelon and other items offering the body benefits. She took her new knowledge and applied it by mixing these items into a drink that fast became a regular part of DeVaughn’s diet.
“She was trying to find different vegetables and fruits to help with the brain … she came up with this drink called Heartshake, which is strawberries, raspberries – all the berries, because berries affect the brain and feed the brain. DeVaughn loves all (of the drinks), especially Heartshake. We changed his diet … thanks to her, he’s doing really well,” Boldene said.
DeVaughn’s results have been beyond anything the family could have imagined.
“He was on six medications, and now he’s down to just one,” Boldene said. “It’s a blessing.”
Davis found other benefits through her creations. As a middle school and now high school athlete, Davis was able to incorporate fiber into her drinks that boosted her energy and easing digestive struggles. And her cousin, who’s battled kidney disease, found an energy boost as well from her recipes.
“Just seeing something that I made was actually helping (DeVaughn) and seeing him get better over time was amazing, and that just made me want to create more and more,” Davis said. “And after I saw it help my cousin, I really started thinking that maybe I should share this with everyone and it can help a lot of other people.”
Davis expressed her thoughts to Boldene, who put her full support behind her daughter to help make her dreams a reality. She applied online with Shell to get involved with the Shell LiveWIRE program, which trains and mentors entrepreneurs and connects participants with networking opportunities that can help them get ahead with their business.
“They were able to touch on so many parts of it – especially with regards to customer service, how to treat people, how to market your business, hiring people,” Boldene said. “Relationships – hearing the stories and experiences of other people, and how they handle things you might go through. I know Kaylee learned a lot. I learned a lot, too.”
Boldene co-founded Squeezy Fresh with her daughter and began working alongside her, the two going to the farmer’s market regularly and finding a steady customer base.
And now, they work side by side at the Squeezy Fresh storefront, which held a soft opening about three weeks prior to the grand opening.
“It’s kind of bittersweet – it’s a lot of work, she’s a teenager and she’s my boss,” Boldene joked. “But the sweet part is seeing her smile. She tries to add something new every day. We go back and forth a lot – ‘No, mama, this is gonna work – just watch.’ I’m so proud of her.
“It’s really been amazing. It’s strengthened our relationship, because we’re together all the time, talking about what’s next – it’s been great.”
Davis said she’s learned a lot from working with her mother.
“Just seeing the way she handles things, working with the customers and how she’s never nervous or anything like that, that gives me confidence,” Davis said.
Boldene said Davis wants to share her recipes with others to promote health, but also hopes to see Squeezy Fresh become a hub for her fellow students to study, as well as a hangout with karaoke and game nights. She’d also like to have health professionals in the community speak about health and fitness at Squeezy Fresh.
As for the drinks themselves, Boldene noted as healthy as they are, Davis “makes them taste good.”
“It’s become a passion of mine and something I really enjoy doing every day,” Davis said.
Dining and Cooking