Little Maven Lemonade

Mariana Silva-Buck remembers the day in the summer of 2020 when her daughter, Sofia, then 10 years old, innocently asked about starting a lemonade stand at the end of their driveway. They never predicted that the stand would eventually become a thriving business called Little Maven Lemonade, owned and operated by Mariana. The mother-daughter duo lived in Massachusetts at the time, and knew they wanted to do something to set their recipe apart.

As a Brazilian immigrant, Mariana had the idea to infuse Brazilian flavors into classic American lemonade and also use the product to celebrate diversity while helping change the narrative around immigrants. Mariana and Sofia spent time together experimenting with recipes (with pure cane sugar and no artificial colors or sweeteners) and then bottling lemonade to sell. Mariana soon began marketing the product at grocery stores and partnering with businesses like the Boston Children’s Hospital, which serves Little Maven Lemonade to its patients.

When Mariana and Sofia moved to their current home in Warren, Rhode Island, she recalls driving past the food-business incubator Hope & Main, located in her new town, and thinking it was “pure destiny.” Mariana said, “Hope & Main helped me figure out how to get this cute lemonade stand idea into a full business, figuring out all the necessary steps and giving us the space to really test out the idea and scale the product.”

Hope & Main’s Executive Director Lisa Raiola has the highest praise for Mariana. “Mariana stands as a shining example of an accomplished Latina entrepreneur breaking barriers and advocating for underserved ‘food-preneurs.’ She not only overcomes obstacles but actively uplifts others along the way. Her story reminds us all that true success lies in lifting as we climb,” said Raiola.

Mariana is currently bottling three flavors: the Original, a classic American lemonade; the Amazonia, a Brazil-inspired limeade; and the Unicorn, a butterfly pea tea lemonade inspired by Thailand and Malaysia, where blue butterfly pea flowers are native. The colorful illustrations Mariana chose for the exteriors of the bottles represent the cultures behind the lemonade flavors within.

For Mariana, Little Maven is about more than just a beverage business; it is about sharing the beauty of different cultures through her product. Next steps for her company include scaling up production, expanding to more grocery stores and launching an India-inspired lotus lemonade.

Eliza Green is a first-grade teacher who has always had a love for talking and writing about the best local food, coffee and other drink.

For more, including where to purchase Little Maven Lemonade, find them on social @little_maven_lemonade or online at LittleMavenLemonade.com.