Photo by Mariah Brown
Refresh Oasis Lemonade
Freshly squeezed lemonade and scrumptious bakery goods from Refresh Oasis brighten up the day. The Milwaukee small business launched over the summer and has quickly become both a neighborhood favorite and local market staple. Owners DJ Cole and Mariah Brown take pride in their lemonade’s colorful, fortifying flavors - the perfect addition to a day out at a fair or festival.
While preparing for Juneteenth earlier this year, Mariah Brown’s father offered her and DJ Cole space at his business’ stall for the annual festival on Martin Luther King Jr. Drive. Brown and Cole brainstormed ideas and ultimately settled on a lemonade business.
“I came across a TikTok video of one and said “oh my God, I think we can do this,” so right away I messaged DJ,” Brown recalls. “He thought it was a go.”
Different Flavors
While experimenting with different lemonade flavors, Brown’s mother was their designated taste tester. Brown vividly remembers her mother’s eyes widening upon trying their product for the first time. “It was that look like, “y’all did it.” It was the best feeling ever.”
After ordering online all the equipment they needed, the two prepared a demo setup and vended lemonade at their first event on Juneteenth. They ended up selling out, motivating Brown and Cole to keep it going.
“It all came so quickly,” Cole adds. “Ever since then it’s just been event after event after event, and it's gotten to the point where we’re pretty swamped.”
An oasis is a small body of water in the desert. Brown liked the name ‘Refresh Oasis’ because she thought of their lemonade as being a remedy in the middle of everything else. “When you drink it, you’re going to have that small peace of mind, and it’s going to shock you,” she laughs.
After submitting dozens of vendor applications for Milwaukee summer events, Refresh Oasis landed spots at Black Arts Festival MKE, Bronzeville Festival, Viva Neustra Herencia and Center Street Daze to name just a few. They have also become regulars at several farmers markets, particularly those of Riverwest and Monroe Street.
Cole enjoys selling lemonade and baked goods because they put smiles on kids’ and adults’ faces alike, adding, “When you come to the stand, you get that piece of childhood.”
As one stumbles upon Refresh Oasis, the bright, eye-catching colors of yellow, red and blue cups shine in the sunlight, stirring a craving and a curiosity. Their flavors include cherry limeade, peach, blue raspberry, lavender and more, each made with Torani syrup. One of Brown and Cole’s latest creations is a mango chamoy lemonade, which became a hit at the recent Silver City Festival.
Cole affirms, “We want to be what people think of when they think of lemonade.”
In terms of baked goods, Refresh Oasis offers chocolate chip cookies, sugar cookies, blueberry muffins, crumble peach cobbler and caramel cake, the last of which being Brown’s mother’s family recipe.
Brown’s mother and siblings have been massively helpful with running the stand, even when Brown or Cole cannot be there. “It’s been the biggest blessing of all,” Brown reflects. “That means the world to me.”
With fall settling in, Refresh Oasis have been innovating their menu accordingly to include seasonal options, including warm drinks. Follow them on Instagram @refreshoasis for updates.
