Black Business Profiles: GingerHale's Lemonade

I love ginger, whether that’s ginger tea, ginger and lemon, or ginger beer in my Moscow mules. Along with being a flavorful ingredient, ginger has a number of proven health benefits.

Carl Hale Jr. enjoyed his first ginger lemonade when he was in Atlanta. When he came back to Virginia, he was craving more of the refreshing beverage. When he wasn’t able to order it online or find it locally, he took matters into his own hands and started mixing up ginger lemonades in his kitchen. He began handing out his all-natural ginger drink to his fellow shipmates aboard the USS Lincoln.

Today, GingerHale’s Lemonade is available to buy at local retailers and restaurants, as well as online. I spoke with Hale about starting his own business, how he comes up with his lemonade flavors and his plans for the future.

This interview has been edited for clarity.

The Cravings Queen: What inspired you to start GingerHale’s Lemonade?

Carl Hale Jr.: I was just making it because I enjoyed it, then I started giving it away to friends and family. Somebody told me I should start selling it, and I said, “really?” So, I ordered some bottles from Amazon and made a post on Facebook. That was three years ago.

How has the experience been starting your own business?

It’s been a very interesting learning experience. I didn’t have much business experience before, and I’m still learning.

I’ve been learning about the distribution process lately. As of last year, I got into a distribution center, so I went from making it in my kitchen to it being made in the distribution center. It’s saved so much time. I’m looking to get into a bigger distribution center, and then getting into the bigger box stores. The goal is to be worldwide.

What sets GingerHale’s apart from other lemonades in stores?

The health benefits of the ginger, for sure. Natural painkiller, immune system booster, anti-inflammatory.

Also, nobody makes it like I do. I’m sure you’ve heard the analogy, “if you give five people the ingredients to make a cake, everybody’s not going to taste the same.”

What’s been the most rewarding part of owning your own business?

Seeing people’s reactions to something I’ve created. I do a lot of vendor events. When I give out the samples, at first people are like “oh, ginger?” Those are the most rewarding—the people who aren’t the biggest fans actually enjoying ginger.

What advice do you have for other Black small business owners?

Don’t be afraid to seek knowledge or advice from someone doing the same thing you’re doing or something similar. You can go a lot further together.

How do you come up with your flavors?

I have five flavors: strawberry kiwi, pineapple, mixed berry, original and matcha blueberry. Everything starts as ginger lemonade; that’s the base. I just juice different fruits to make the flavors and see what goes well together.

A friend actually recommended matcha blueberry. I had never heard of matcha before. People give me recommendations all the time, and I just kind of act on them. This summer, I’m going to do some seasonal ones, like a mango or watermelon.

What are some of your most popular lemonade flavors? Do you have any personal favorites?

Pineapple is probably the most popular. It’s an easy go-to. Everybody likes pineapple.

My favorite is strawberry kiwi.

When you aren’t working, how do you like to decompress?

I like bowling. I picked that up a couple years ago. I even competed in a league over the summer.

To learn more about GingerHale’s Lemonade, visit GingerHales.com.