Today we’d like to introduce you to Leah Treleven.
Hi Leah, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
Not surprisingly, Sweethaven started as my Covid hobby. At the time I was teaching 7th grade Language Arts at New Ulm Middle School. After my online teaching was done for the day, I was at home with a lot of time on my hands.
I have always loved fresh flavors in my cocktails, so happy hour prep for me looks like shopping for fresh ingredients, picking fresh herbs from my garden and lots of zesting, chopping, cooking up simple syrups, measuring, muddling, and mixing. I love the process, but sometimes I would opt for a subpar whiskey coke instead of the beautifully crafted cocktail that I craved, simply because I didn’t have the time or energy.
My idea was to bottle up all the beautifully fresh and balanced flavors, so that when it was happy hour, all I had to do was pour.
I gave these concentrates to my family for Christmas that year and it was pretty obvious that I had made something pretty special. I thought I was dreaming big when I planned to sell them on Facebook Marketplace and use the money for a family vacation when we could finally travel again.
Well, one sale turned into hundreds and it was only four months later that I walked into my principal’s office and told her that I was going to take a leap of faith and pursue this passion project full time the following school year. It was a tough decision, but I am so thankful I took the risk I did.
Over the next months, I continued to hustle my way around Southern Minnesota, selling to over 50 locations in and around the New Ulm area. With continued success, my husband, Ryan, joined the business full time in August. Today we have moved into a building downtown New Ulm and plan to have a tasting lounge and retail location open by late fall this year!
We have been so blessed to start this business in a community like New Ulm. The support and guidance that we have received is truly what has made it possible for us to be where we are today!
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
As far as bumps that I have encountered, I don’t think true success can come without them. And I’d have to say the early developmental stages of the recipes were a bit bumpy.
These early batches were the ones that I made specifically for my family for gifts. I remember sitting down at our first happy hour with them after having made them, eager for them to taste.
“It’s so easy! All you have to do is add this to your spirits and a splash of sparkling water, and it is A-mazing! You don’t have to add a single thing. All the flavor is in the concentrate!”
Well, I whipped up the first batch for the group, and as we sipped there were tentatively nodding heads along with a few shifting eyes.
“Yum. That is pretty good,” offered my mom.
“Yeah, that is interesting,” my dad chimed in.
Smacking is lips my eldest brother offered, “Well sis, are you sure you wouldn’t add anything?”
Haha, that comment opened the gates for a healthy dose of honest suggestions. While it wasn’t quite the response I was looking for, they were the ones that sent me back to the kitchen to create the more and more recipes that would bring us to where we are today.
I am so thankful for the honesty and support of my family!
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
The creative part of the business is really where I thrive. I love research and development days. I walk around the grocery store gathering up all the fruits, herbs, and spices that catch my attention. I spend the day in the kitchen mixing and tweaking combinations and balancing flavors until I have a lineup of new concentrates to try out on my all too willing family and friends.
I have also enjoyed the branding aspect of the business. Creating a look and feel for the products, photos and posts. As a former Language Arts teacher, I enjoy crafting ideas with my words as well. Telling the story, capturing the experience of using our tonics, and really showing my followers the reason behind what I am doing.
Is there anyone you’d like to thank or give credit to?
Oh man, grab a snack and settle in for this one. If this were my moment at an awards show, I would be the one going on so long they would surely cue the exit music and cut to commercial before I was finished.
My husband Ryan has been my biggest support from the beginning. He keeps me balanced and he keeps me smiling. When I started working 18 hour days between teaching and tonicing, he took over everything at home that I simply didn’t have time for. I don’t think I folded a single piece of laundry, purchased a gallon of milk, or lifted a shovelful of snow during that time. When I offered up the idea that this side hustle become the hustle, he didn’t flinch. He just smiled, put out his fist for me to bump, and said, “You’re gonna crush it.” He has joined the business full time and has endured every comment about “working for your wife” you can imagine. I am so blessed to have him by my side.
When I met the now chairman of our board, Paul Wessel, back in July at a fundraiser I was serving my cocktails at, I had no idea how his guidance would take this business to the next level. Paul has a vast resume, a sea of connections, and a business sense that has taken this from a nice little business, and has absolutely laid the foundation for this to be a huge success. He sees the potential in me and in Sweethaven Tonics and keeps me energized and focused on the big picture.
Heather Hammer, the owner of a successful boutique and flower shop, was the first one that I went to when I wanted to share my products with the community. When she asked for my line sheet of products, and I replied with, “What’s a line sheet?”, she took the opportunity to teach me instead of dismissing me. Heather has helped me connect with valuable resources in New Ulm and gave me a platform to connect with my community. I am so grateful.
I am grateful to the first businesses that took the chance on purchasing from this spunky, little hustler. A to Zinnia, Sleepy Eye Brewing Co, Liquor Mart, Cork and Key, Olita Gifts and Goods, Mankato Independent Originals, and Flank just to name a few. In the first year we have made our way into 70 locally owned bars, restaurants, boutiques, and liquor stores. That would not have been possible without the shared mindset that small businesses need to support each other.
Pricing:
- Sampler Flight – $19.99
- 4 oz Bottle – $8.99
- 8 oz Bottle – $15.99
- 16 oz Bottle – $29.99
Contact Info:
- Email: leah@sweethaventonics.com
- Website: www.sweethaventonics.com
- Instagram: sweethaven_tonics
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/drinksweethaven
- Twitter: drinksweethaven
Image Credits
Jon Carter Photography
