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!