Hey There!
We are Erin Rose & Kelli, Lush Creators and Owners.
We are SO glad you are here with us.
Thank you for supporting our dream of providing high quality & delicious wine cocktails to the world. Scroll down to read more about our story.
Cheers!
About Lush
Lush is truly one of those "small business stories." We honestly didn't set out to do this. But in the last 10 years, Lush has grown from an idea around a kitchen table to a business that creates and sends delicious organic cocktails mixers around the country. For us, it's always been about making the best mixers with the best ingredients.
It's our passion that it's something more for you. We hope that Lush is your perfect opportunity to bring people together and enjoy the company of friends, family, and neighbors. The unexpected chance to give a unique and beautiful gift to a stranger or a loved one. The excuse to make a new cocktail or mocktail, whether an amazing organic wine slushie or your very first Spiced Old Fashioned. The freedom to make any mundane or simple moment into your own celebration. It may have started from a humble kitchen table, but it's become a community of fun-loving folks that know how to have a good time without pretense, throughout all of life's ups, downs, and turnarounds. Folks who know life is truly a gift. Here's to more of all of it. Cheers!
HOW IT STARTED...HOW IT'S GOING
It all started with two women, a moody printer, an old slurpie dog machine, and 5 famous last words. Really.
This is our small business story. Lush began as an idea around a dinner table between two sisters-in-laws and included the words, “how hard could it be?” Let it be known – these are famous last words.
We had bought a wine slushy mix at a holiday fair a few weeks earlier, and were trying it out at Thanksgiving Dinner. The slushy was okay, but way too sweet, and the chemical ingredients left something to be desired.
After drinking a bit too much, we started thinking, “I bet we could make a mix like this, only much better.” “I bet we could make wine cocktail mixes that were less sweet and that had great real-food ingredients. Really, how hard could it be? We could package them and sell them. Easy as pie.”
From 2013 to 2015, we got to work. Honestly, we both needed a new business like we needed holes in our heads (we already both had different careers & Kelli had 3 kids). But we couldn’t shake the idea of Lush.
And so it began. We started experimenting with wine slushies. We mixed, and re-formulated and made all our friends taste our creations. It was fun. We were adamant (and still are!) about the *best* ingredients. No compromises. We’ll figure out logistics and finances later. Then, we bought an old slurpie dog machine off of Craigslist and headed to faires.
By 2018, we were neck deep in business. And one fateful day, we answered the phone and received an offer to join an online marketplace as long as we upped our branding game. This meant no more stand up pouches. It meant pouring money, time and energy back into Lush as we developed our beautiful new brand and packaging. All the while, we kept making Lush in commissary kitchens, kept growing our families (kid count= 5), and kept shipping boxes (and boxes and boxes).
In 2020 we completed our rebrand and rolled out our Lush canisters that you know and love today. We continued to use organic, high quality ingredients and finally had packaging to match our high quality standards. We celebrated some big increases in sales as more and more people began drinking their cocktails at home (Thank you Covid). Kid count = 6 by the end of 2020
Now, we're 10 years into this thing called Lush. Our handmade mixers are sold in hundreds of boutiques, stores, wineries, breweries, wine bars, and restaurants across the nation, and we’ve got no intention of stopping. Lush has survived 3 more pregnancies (now 7 children between us), 4 family moves (Erin's husband is a soldier in the US Army), long nights, depleted budgets, huge mistakes (ahem “learning opportunities”), and so much more.
Along the way, there's always been a good reason to keep going. Amazing new customers who've turned into raging fans, a friend who’s stepped in to help, an article that’s named our Spiced Wine one of the best 10 in the country (woot woot!), and our giveback program that keeps us motivated. Thank you for being the best part of our journey. We truly appreciate every individual customer, every small business partner, and every loved one who's loved us through it. Here's to many more years of Lush! Cheers!
Our Small Business is Meant for Good
Here's the thing: We love our business. However, since the beginning, we could never shake the feeling that we are making and selling a high-end organic cocktail while neighbors, fellow Americans, and people throughout the world struggle to afford enough food and clean water.
This is how our program, "Every Month. Every Lush." was born.
We believe it's one of the greatest blessings and responsibilities of small businesses. And when we tire, feel the pressure and stress of a manufacturing business, or face disappointment, it's this program that motivates us to keep going. This year, enjoy fun, friends, family, and delicious cocktails with us. And, let's fight hunger and thirst together!