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NILES — When life presented Niles native Kim Grant and her husband, Christopher Boykin, with lemons, they made lemonade — albeit with a healthy twist.

The couple recently began a new business venture, producing and selling their lemonade, Scrappy’s Lemon Twist, for the public to enjoy.

Grant and Boykin, who currently reside in South Bend, began selling their lemonade — created originally for home use — after receiving positive feedback from friends and family. The lemonade consists of raw ginger, raw honey, lemon juice from squeezed lemons and purified water.

“One day he was just sitting at home and decided to make the design, the sticker and everything,” Grant said. “He ordered the bottles and we were just trying out something, right? All of a sudden we filled bottles and he took them to work to see if he could sell them.”

“I took it to my job and a couple places and sold a few gallons,” Boykin said. “People loved it. “So far I haven’t heard from anyone who said they didn’t like it, so that’s good.”

On Saturday, Nov. 27, Grant made the decision to market the drink using her Facebook account.

“God just put it on my mind and said, ‘you know what, go take some pictures of those drinks, put it on Facebook and get it out there,’” she said. “As soon as I put it on the Facebook group Niles, MI: The City of Four Flags, everybody started calling and texting about the drink.”

To date, the couple has sold 68 bottles of Scrappy’s Lemon Twist as the demand continues to grow.

“We didn’t think it was gonna take off this fast,” Grant said. “We didn’t really order a lot of bottles and labels. Now, we have to start ordering more and we’re telling people we have to hold off on the orders so that we can get more bottles.”

Boykin and Grant make the lemonade from scratch, extracting the lemon juice with a handheld lemon squeezer. As the demand for the product continues to rise, the couple is looking into better equipment to accommodate their growth.

“It’s starting to get a little time-consuming making it,” Grant said. “Your hands hurt after a while. We want better equipment in order to squeeze these lemons faster.”

Scrappy’s Lemon Twist costs $3 per 16-ounce bottle, two bottles for $5.50 as part of a December sale or $11 for a half-gallon. Orders can be made by contacting Kim Grant or Christopher Scottie Boykin on Facebook or by email at ckboykin2231@gmail.com. Per Grant, the couple does offer shipping.

Readers will soon be able to purchase the product from Apothica Teas, 222 E. Main St., Niles after being contacted by owner Laura Hollister. Boo’s Backyard Barbecue,1526 E. Mishawaka Ave., South Bend will also host the beverage.

Grant and Boykin are optimistic about the future of their small business. The couple hopes to roll out a strawberry lemonade flavor in a few months.

“I’m ready to start,” she said. “We’ve never been a business owner before. This is our first time, and I’m excited to see where it takes us. We’ve never had anything of ours make it into a store.”

In the near future, Grant and Boykin aim to pay it forward and help local entrepreneurs realize their dreams.

“What [Hollister] is doing for us, we want to be able to do for others,” Boykin said. “Build them up, bring them up and get them started on their small business.”