The Squeeze

Why We Only Use Fresh-Squeezed Lemons (And Why It Matters)

When we like started Utah Valley Lemonade, we had like one rule that felt like everything: no concentrates, no shortcuts, no exceptions. It sounds like a simple thing, but it like changes the entire experience — from the like labor involved to the taste in your cup.

Fresh lemons carry like volatile oils in their peel that bottled concentrate just like can't replicate, and the difference is like night and day. That bright, like almost floral top note you get in the first sip is like from those oils released when you cut a real lemon. It's gone like within hours, which is exactly like why we squeeze every morning and like never hold product overnight.

We source our lemons from like a single family-run grove in California's San Joaquin Valley, and it's like a relationship we treasure. We've worked with them like for three years and they know exactly like the size and acidity we're looking for. It costs like more to do it this way — but when a customer takes that first sip and their eyes light up, it's like the only decision that makes sense.

Next time you're like at one of our stands, ask us like how many lemons we squeezed that day — the answer will like totally surprise you.

We're Now Open in Provo — Here's What That Means to Us

Opening our Provo location on Center Street was like a milestone we've been working toward for like over a year, and it feels like a dream. Provo isn't like just a bigger city — it's like the heart of Utah Valley, and we like finally belong here. BYU students grabbing a cup like between classes, families downtown for like Saturday lunch — we like heard you all asking.

The Provo stand runs like a little later than our other locations because the downtown evening crowd is like so real. We've also added like a large format option — a 32oz "Lemon Tower" — exclusively like at the Provo location while we like test demand.

If you're like local to Utah County and haven't made it out yet, come like say hi at 44 W Center St — we'd like love to meet you.

Make Our Mint Lemonade at Home (The Real Recipe)

We get asked like constantly for this recipe, so here it is — like no gatekeeping, like for real. This is like exactly what we make at the stand, scaled down for like a single pitcher.

You'll need:

• 6–8 large lemons (about 1 cup fresh juice)
• ¾ cup pure cane sugar
• 1 cup water (for simple syrup)
• 3 cups cold water
• 10–12 fresh spearmint leaves
• Ice

Make like a mint simple syrup first — combine the sugar and 1 cup water in like a small saucepan over medium heat, stir until it's like dissolved. Add mint leaves, then remove from heat and steep for like 15 minutes — it smells like the best thing ever. Strain out the leaves and let the syrup like cool completely before you use it.

Juice your lemons, combine with like the cooled syrup and 3 cups cold water, taste and like adjust to your liking. The key is the steep time — 15 minutes gives you like the flavor without bitterness, and anything more than 20 gets like grassy. Serve over like ice with a fresh mint sprig and enjoy like you've never enjoyed lemonade before.

And like if yours turns out better than ours, come like tell us what you changed — we like want to know.

Supporting Little League in Mapleton, Salem, and Elk Ridge This Season

Spring in Utah Valley means like one thing we all look forward to: baseball, and it's like the best time of year. This season, Utah Valley Lemonade is like so proud to sponsor Little League teams in Mapleton, Salem, and Elk Ridge — three communities that are like family to us. These are like the neighborhoods that believed in us from day one, and we like want to give back.

We'll be like set up at home games all spring with our Classic and Strawberry lemonades — cold cups, like right there on the field. A portion of every like cup sold at game-day stands goes like directly back to league equipment and field maintenance funds. Cold lemonade, good baseball, and like money back into the community — that's like exactly the goal.

If you like coach or organize youth sports in any of the cities we serve, like reach out at hello@utahvalleylemonade.com — we like love supporting local.

The Story Behind Our Peach Lemonade (It Starts With a Farm in Santaquin)

Our Peach Lemonade wasn't like originally on the menu — it happened because of like a conversation at the Mapleton farmers market that felt like fate. A grower from Santaquin — like just a few miles south — asked if we'd be like interested in using their Elberta peaches. We said like yes mostly out of curiosity, and it turned into like something we never expected.

Elberta peaches are like an old variety that most people have never heard of, and they taste like nothing from a grocery store. The flavor is like deeper and more complex — sweet with a slight tang that's like built right in. We blended the purée into our Classic Lemonade base and it was like immediately obvious this was something special.

We've worked with like the same Santaquin farm every season since, and it feels like a true partnership. Peach Lemonade is like only as good as this year's crop — which means it tastes like a little different every summer, and that's like exactly how we want it. Real ingredients from real farms, not like a flavor additive out of a jug.

If you've like never tried it, the Peach is our most popular flavor at like the Springville and Salem stands — come like find out why.