Asher's Story: A Young Pittsburgh Entrepreneur's "Wild Soda" Business and Fledgling Etsy Store

Asher

From my earliest youth I have been a fan of creativity in all its forms. From drawing pictures to conceiving halloween costumes to story telling, the creative spirit is part of our nature. Entrepreneurialism isn't just about the business of making money. It is often simply another expression of the creative urge. 

I was probably around 10 when my brother and I sold home made popsicles that we made with Kool-aid back in Maple Heights. I was probably trying to add to my allowance money so I could buy baseball cards, Civil War cards or a model airplane. Most of my my regular allowance (a quarter a week) went to Mad magazines and Famous Monsters of Filmland mags.

When a long time friend of ours told me about the entrepreneurial activities of his grandsons, my interest was stirred. I asked what he's selling and he told me about a product called "Wild Soda" as well as T-shorts and T-tubes. 

Asher Deming is 12 and he's already got an Etsy store titled TheMegAndFreddieCo. The headline on his page reads, "I love making unique functional eco friendly items for others to enjoy." With the coronavirus he has had more time on his hands and rather than being idle he's been making things to sell.  

According to his Etsy page Asher's been sewing as long as he can remember. First it was pillows and then clothing. Eventually he began making stuffed animals and clothing for his nephews. 

Here are some notes from an interview we did via email.

EN: What products do you make and sell?

Asher: We sell t-shorts, t-tubes, and Wild Soda, with more products coming soon.

EN: Where did the idea of going into business come from?

Asher: I got the idea from a last minute Birthday gift. I randomly sewed a “pillow” out of a t-shirt, to make for my little cousin, which looked much like shorts, and they just happened to fit.

After that first pair of t-shorts my mom asked her "buy nothing" Facebook group for t-shirts we could upcycle. Then we made a lot more t-shorts, and a new product we call a t-tube, which is supposed to be something like a neck gaiter. 

I had also been on Pinterest looking at recipes for ‘wild soda’ which we figured out was pretty easy to make. So we got a bunch of reusable mason jars for a “soda club.” Every week our members are delivered a new flavor of wild soda.

EN: What prompted you to get into recycling and upcycling?

Asher: I understand that climate change and the environment is getting worse, with an imminent threat of climate disasters like pandemics, and wildfires as we have seen this year. So we try to make our products as environmentally friendly as possible.

EN: What is “Wild Soda”?

Asher: Wild Soda is what naturally sparkly fermented soda is called. It doesn’t taste real fermented, it just tastes like sparkling tea.

EN: Can you elaborate on how the Soda Club works? How much does it cost? What makes it unique? What gave you the idea to go with a Club versus just selling the drinks individually?

Asher: We deliver a unique drink weekly to neighbors doorsteps and reuse the bottles from week to week. If people don't live close enough, they pick up the drinks.

Isaiah Deming: Ultra-reliable Key Counterpart

EN: How does your younger brother Isaiah help with the business? 

Asher: My brother is the only other paid employee,. He feeds the ginger bugs (the fermented thing that makes wild soda fizzy) and he sometimes helps deliver.

EN: Do you have a favorite flavor of Wild Soda?

Asher: I like orange Wild Soda.

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To learn more, and follow the evolution of their young enterprise visit TheMegAndFreddieCo on Etsy.
You can also follow them on @megandfreddieco on Instagram.

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For the record, Meg and Freddie are their pups.

Asher Deming: On the forefront of the Upcycling Revolution