A Beveridge Amongst Beverages

Written by Emma Beveridge, Class of 2020

Having lived in Charlotte my entire life, I have experienced twenty years of personal growth within a swiftly growing city. Charlotte has become a vast hub of entrepreneurial activity in the past few years and working with UpDog Kombucha allows me to have hands-on experience in my evolving town- allowing me to see my city with new eyes as my hands are on kegs of kombucha and my mind is on the efficiency of the company. As UpDog’s Charlotte Intern, I have been working closely with other businesses in the food, beverage, and wellbeing industries, thus allowing me to connect with the service sectors of Charlotte (and its surrounding area) as a fellow provider. This is very different from the consumer role that has defined my interactions the past nineteen(ish) years. Yoga studios, coffee shops, and other businesses that I have frequented while growing up are now not simply places where I spend my money, but opportunities to connect – spreading my network further across Charlotte as I step out of the solely consumer role and into a more interactive and engaged employee of Charlotte’s community.

Kombucha’s popularity in the western world has increased drastically in recent years, and I was eager to be privy to the expansion of this beverage in my hometown- not to mention the development of UpDog- a brand of kombucha I have been enjoying since my start at Wake Forest. Of course, as a Wake student I have heard the story of Lauren and Olivia’s pursuits in expanding UpDog right after graduating (hasn’t everyone?), but now being so close to them and the functioning of this business, I have come to understand the very unglamorous necessities of committing to a young startup. I have become accustomed to the grunt work of lifting thirty-pound kegs and having highly pressurized kombucha sprayed in my face on more occasions that I would like to admit. I love the humbling honesty of the evolving tasks I am assigned to and the process of adaptation I am continuously experiencing. I am often on-call and on-the-go as I travel around Charlotte making deliveries, picking up product, participating in photoshoots, running events, and much more in between, while never constricted to a desk or high heels. My UpDog shirts have come to define my one and only style of the summer- paired with tennis shoes and a ponytail.

I feel at home in this attire, as well as in my outfitted skills practicing adaptation, interpersonal, and organizational abilities. I also would be lying if I didn’t mention how fitting this internship felt for me with the sheer number of puns that could be made with my last name (Beveridge) and the beverage company I have been working for.

But of course, I have been challenged in numerous other manners as my grasp on time management has been questioned and troubleshooting has become more troublesome than expected. I am nothing but grateful for these challenges, though, as I better understand myself, my skills, and my city.

I write this from a coffee shop to whose owners I have just delivered a fresh keg of UpDog’s kombucha and who, in return, offered me a gratuitous cup of coffee and a welcoming atmosphere. I have checked their carbon dioxide tank, tapped their apple ginger flavored keg (mmm refreshing), and gotten to truly know them. Through the new role and the fresh set of eyes this internship has offered me, I have already had experiences propelling unforeseen growth. With my coffee to my right and the kombucha to my left, I am satisfied with my surroundings. I feel at home as I am…  a Beveridge amongst beverages.