NFL players are joining together to help fund a 12-year-old's lemonade company
A group of former and current NFL players, led by former Houston Texans running back Arian Foster, have invested $810,000 in 12-year-old Mikaila Ulmer's booming lemonade business, according to theHouston Chronicle.
Ulmer started using her great grandmother's flaxseed recipe at a lemonade stand, eventually expanding and founding Me & The Bees Lemonade. The Austin, Texas, native is also doing it for a good cause: A portion of the lemonade profits goes to organizations working to save honey bees.
Foster invested in the company with a handful of other players, including Detroit Lions safety Glover Quin and former Texans teammates Duane Brown, Jonathan Grimes and Sherrick McManis. The Chronicle listed Omar Bolden, Bobby Wagner, Darius Slay, EJ Manuel and Malik Jackson as the other NFL backers.
Quin and Foster were on hand for an Entrepreneur Day event with the Holthouse Boys & Girls Club in Houston this week. They had glowing remarks about Ulmer, and were excited to help expand her growing business.
"She's so humble," Foster said at the event. "You always have to be open and willing to learn, and she is. I'm learning from her, too. It's a cycle. You have to keep an open mind and continue to grow."
"She's super smart," Quin told the Chronicle. "She's very special. Obviously, she has a bright future. Hopefully, I can be a part of it and nourish it and watch her grow. The sky is the limit. I'm very impressed with her."
The pre-teen businesswoman is a powerful force in the lemonade industry. Her deal with Whole Foods was for approximately $11 million. At the 2016 United State of Women Summit, Ulmer was tasked with introducing U.S. President Barack Obama.
Ulmer received financial backing on Shark Tank and her lemonade is sold in Whole Foods and Wegman's, among other stores.
