A couple of years ago, Ponte Vedra Beach native Lauren Henry found herself with a degree in Marketing and Communications and an itch to get back to work after having her second child.
“I was finally past that 'having kids' phase and was like, 'I'm ready to go back to work,'” Henry said. “I need to go back to work but I really only bartended. I was one of those 10-year college graduates.”
Realizing that a desk job was not in her future, Henry decided to take what she already knew and create something completely unique out of it. After months of painstaking trial and error and some serious DIY trailer revamping, Henry introduced the first-ever Sangria Truck.
“We are the only Sangria-based truck in the county,” Henry said. “It was hard because we didn’t have any examples” to serve as a model.
The Sangria Truck is a mobile bar that offers an innovative array of unique Sangria-inspired cocktails, from “Sweet Blackberry Red” to a “Sparkling Fig Sangria,” all crafted and created by Henry. The truck mainly caters to weddings, parties and corporate events, which she books, prices and bartends herself. When Henry does hire out, she always tries to keep the Sangria Truck as “locally sourced” as possible. The truck’s logo and brand were designed by Ansley Randall, founder of Jax is Rad. Additionally, many of the drinks’ ingredients are supplied by local, small businesses.
“Our whole premise about this business is community and experiences,” Henry said. “I think that there is a lack of experience- based companies. I think the trend is coming but when people open these businesses, they think more is better. For us, it's a niche.”
The Sangria Truck, which can be booked through the website thesangriatruck.com, will be celebrating its first birthday Dec. 12. Henry said that through the whole experience of starting the truck, she has learned that Jacksonville is home to many women-owned and operated organizations and small businesses.
“There is something super exciting about niche companies”, Henry said. “Especially ones that are owned by women. Jacksonville is up-and-coming, and not a lot of people know that there are so many powerful women in the city.”
