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Business & Tech

At the Farmers Market: Kyra's Lemonade Stand

A philanthropic 9-year-old is teaming up with her dad to churn out the best lemonade this side of town.

“She has always been entrepreneurial and charitable,” said Robert Haupt, father of Kyra of Kyra’s Korner, one of the newest businesses to grace the .

Kyra’s Korner is a simple, mobile lemonade stand, borne out of street corners and garage sales in the Conejo Valley. What makes it stand out is its pledge to donate 20 percent of its profits to local charities.

The philanthropic part is Kyra’s idea. The 9-year-old was inspired by the story of a restaurant chain that donated part of its profits and came to the aid of an 8-year-old who was battling cancer.

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So far, Kyra’s Korner has donated to the ARC Foundation of Ventura County and Casa Pacifica in Camarillo.

“We plan to add more charities as the business grows,” said Haupt. “It’s up to Kyra which ones she wants to support in the future.”

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The apple does not fall too far from the tree.

“My wife and I were in the restaurant business so Kyra and her older sister grew up with that kind of business and customer service exposure,” said the Thousand Oaks resident.

When Haupt lost his job as a restaurant manager, and with Kyra’s prodding, the family took the mobile lemonade stand to the next level and applied to the . After four months on the wait list, Kyra’s Korner was in business.

There are four lemonade flavors: regular, raspberry, strawberry and Tahitian vanilla. The lemons are squeezed on-site every Saturday morning.

The father-daughter teamwork and camaraderie is quite unmistakable.

“Dad, what’s next after the strawberry one?” asked the daughter, poised to fulfill the next order.

“This lady wants a Tahitian vanilla, please,” said the dad, while juggling payments and sample requests.

Sugar-free and agave nectar versions are also available, replacing the simple syrup or sugar usually found in lemonade.

To keep things interesting and timely, the lemonade stand features flavors of the month to celebrate an upcoming holiday or to promote a seasonal key ingredient.

For October, it’s golden apple cider lemonade. The Haupts will try to push the envelope even further with pumpkin lemonade in November.

“I’m eager to see what the reaction will be to the pumpkin,” said Haupt.

Kyra’s Korner is on its third week in Calabasas and the feedback has been favorable and encouraging so far, according to Haupt.

“People are eagerly sampling and buying the lemonades,” he said. “I think they also appreciate the showmanship with us squeezing the lemons right there and then.”

The 20-ounce glasses of lemonade go for $3.50 each. Take-home containers in half-gallon and gallon sizes are set to debut soon.

“There’s definitely a take-home demand so we explored it,” said Haupt.

Taking it a step further, Kyra’s Korner was at the Calabasas Pumpkin Festival last weekend and will be at Stu Miller’s Pumpkin Patches soon. Expect more than just flavored lemonades. Hot dogs and sandwiches will also be on the menu.

With such an auspicious start for inspiration, the Haupts are slowly expanding their little corner.

“Expect to see us at more family-oriented and community events in the near future,” he said.

For more information, call 805.906.0876 or email: kyraskorner@gmail.com.

The Calabasas Farmers Market is open from 8 am to 1 pm every Saturday at 23504 Calabasas Road, across the street from the Sagebrush Cantina.

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