Tampa’s Lemonicious Drink Co. turns family recipes into local fresh-fruit favorite

BARTOW, Fla. - For husband and wife Curtis and Nadine Knight, the Lemonicious Drink Company started at home. 

"My wife was making amazing drinks for us, and people would come and would always ask where you got those drinks from? Where do you buy them from?" Lemonicious Drink Company Co-Owner Curtis Knight said. 

The backstory:

The Knight's started selling drinks by the gallon three years ago. 

"She started meeting people at gas stations, friends of friends, and once someone drove from St. Pete all the way to Fish Hawk to buy a gallon, I said," I think we're on to something," Knight said. 

The drinks are sold at around 20 local markets and stores. Five core flavors are always available: Lemon Blossom, Strawberry, Blueberry Lavender, Pineapple, Hibiscus Rose and Southern Peach Tea. They also feature a rotation of around 15 other specialty drinks.

 "We do anywhere from six to ten farmers' markets a week," Knight said. "That's something that we get to connect directly with the people, get their feedback, the whole gamut of reactions and emotions, but there's always some kind of natural reaction because it's just like nothing you ever had."

Dig deeper:

Each drink only features a handful of natural and fresh ingredients. Many of the fruits are sourced from local farms. The drinks are high pressure pasteurized, which creates a 90-day refrigerated shelf life. 

"It's all made with real fruit. We don't use any artificial flavors or colors, and the main thing that people don't realize is that we don't use any natural flavors," Knight said. "Go into your refrigerator, grab products, and see if there's going to be. Most likely there will be natural flavors in there, and you never know where those are coming from. They're not natural. They're all made in the lab, so we avoid any of that. This is the same kitchen recipe that she made for our family, all with you guys."

What they're saying:

When asked about how they taste, Knight says, "It's a very distinct taste. Think of it like the mouthful of a flavored water, but with the flavor of a smoothie, so you're getting that strong flavor of the smoothie, but it's not thick."