YOUNG entrepreneur Alex Carvey is seeing the fruits of his hard work pay off - after spending hours personally squeezing lemons to make his own brand of still lemonade.

Now Alex, 21, from Penn, and his two partners, are also slowly beginning to squeeze out a niche in the competitive soft drinks market with orders coming in from stores in Bucks.

So far, they have sold 2,000 bottles of Granby's Totally Lemons, retailing at around £2 each, and are preparing another 1,000.

The three not only squeeze the lemons by hand themselves – with the juice of four going into each drink – but label and bottle the product as well.

“We are making money, even though the cost of making the lemonade is very high,” said Alex, a former Dr Challoner’s Grammar School pupil. “We are all really determined to make a go of this full time.”

But Granby’s started almost by accident earlier this year when the three were at university in Southampton studying management with entrepreneurship and had to create a business plan and pitch.

“We thought if we sold something it would be better, and we went for something simple and made some lemonade in a student house in Granby Grove, Southampton.”

To the team’s surprise, they sold 150 bottles of the new Granby’s lemonade on campus in three hours, and had fellow students telling them they should set up their own business.

“It was a warm day which helped, but it was a lot more successful than we thought,” he admitted.

He believes the secret of its success is its high content of lemons – 20 per cent, which he says compares favourably with the rest of the industry – and the fact the drink is still, which found favour with many international students.

Granby’s helped Alex earn a 2.1 degree, and he decided to capitalise on its success when he returned home to Penn in the summer.

Alex, with partners Oliver Jeffs and Paul Ross, found an investor and hired out Jordans Village Hall to do their squeezing and bottling. At the Barnes Food Festival they sold 600 bottles.

Local stores are now beginning to stock the drink and a small bottling plant in Oxford has been found. Alex is hopeful Granby’s will blossom and is investing all his work time into it.

“If it doesn’t work, I’ve learnt so much already about running a business,” he said.

"Due to the success and interest we have had to date, we are now looking at our next flavour of drink. “It seems that people like the whole handmade, traditional, premium and rustic feel of our brand. "

Alex’s entrepreneurship also won praise from Martin Tett, leader of Buckinghamshire County Council.

He said: “Alex provides a fantastic example for the younger generation of how to stand on your own two feet in the world of work. Alex and his friends have proved that innovation and hard work can help you succeed far quicker than you could ever imagine.”

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