MUNCIE, Ind. — Fair season has passed, but one local business serves a fan-favored item year-round across Indiana. Leo’s Lemonade has been running for close to a year, and has made an imprint on the Muncie community.
Tiffany Gibson and her husband Christopher Gibson created Leo’s Lemonade in the name of their son, who was diagnosed with autism in November of 2023. They knew they wanted to start something up for the family, but did not have a clear vision of what they wanted.
“We tried to figure out things we could do for him when he got older, in case he wasn’t able to work. We had joked about how we couldn’t find a good lemon shakeup at the fair–and how we could make our own lemon shakeups and never did anything with it,” Tiffany said.
Soon after, an idea arrived for Tiffany after attending Autism Rocks Indiana’s annual Autism Celebration. The family went together and felt recognized, supported, and appreciated; they wanted to return the favor.
“We both left there and we’re like, ‘we have to do something so we could be here next year to set up’. So I was sitting at home and my ADHD brain said ‘Leo's Lemonade’. I texted him and said we should really do Leo's Lemonade shakeups,” Tiffany said.
Since then, Leo’s Lemonade has received an outpour of love from the community. Leo’s parents hope he grows up with pride in the family-run business.
“We wanted to do something to help him and give back to the community because we’ve both been like that. If you're in need, we’re not somebody who looks down on you. We've probably been there, we understand,” Christopher said.
The two work together as a team, Christopher handles payment exchanges while Tiffany makes the drinks. Tips are welcome and are donated to Autism Rock’s Indiana. Leo’s Lemonade encourages families to reach out if they need someone to talk to or lean on. They are open for bookings all year through their Facebook @Leo’s Lemonade.
Contact Kahmara Munn with comments at kahmara.munn@bsu.edu.
