Lemonade Day Calgary 2024 Recap

Lemonade Day Calgary 2024 was one for the books! On July 20th, 361 young, enthusiastic entrepreneurs ages 5-13 (supported by 313 dedicated mentors) set up lemonade stands across the city and squeezed every drop of fun and learning out of the day. This was more than double the participation from 2023!

Lemonade by the numbers

This year’s participants achieved remarkable financial results. The highest revenue recorded was an impressive $802, while the highest profit reached $688.54. Wow! On average, participants generated a revenue of $221.22 with an average profit of $136.30. Here’s the full breakdown by age group:

• Ages 5-6:
  • Avg Revenue: $271.59
  • Avg Profit: $154.12
  • Avg. Profit Margin: 58%
•  Ages 7-9:
  • Avg Revenue: $208.19
  • Avg Profit: $125.66
  • Avg. Profit Margin: 62%
• Ages 10-13:
  • Avg Revenue: $201.73
  • Avg Profit: $138.01
  • Avg. Profit Margin: 67%

Interestingly, while our youngest entrepreneurs brought in the highest revenues, the older kids mastered the art of profitability, achieving the best profit margins. This is an encouraging trend and we hope that by participating in lemonade day year after year, youth will continue to learn and develop greater financial and business literacy over time.

From dog parks to secret ingredients, creativity was flowing

Our team of volunteers was out and about visiting stands and taste-testing lemonade. We were inspired by the creative business ideas we saw from this year’s participants!

• Petitioning local businesses for sponsorship and permission to set up inside and outside of local stores to capitalize on foot traffic
• Setting up in a bustling dog park and selling dog accessories to serve both two and four-legged friends
• Marketing a ‘secret ingredient’ as an upsell
• Selling home-baked treats with branded stickers
• Fresh squeezing lemons for each and every order
• Parking a bright yellow convertible in front of the lemonade stand to draw a crowd
• The list goes on!

Hear from the entrepreneurs…

• “It takes a lot of work to have a successful business, but to see how much I earned in one day makes me excited to do it again.” Noah, Age 6
• “I learned how to count money and give change. It was fun!” – Liam, Age 7
• “My lemonade stand was at the dog park. I sold treats for dogs and lemonade for their owners. It was a hit!” – Ava, Age 10
• “I was shy to sell anything but now I know I can do it and people are nice and will buy something if I tell them about what I’m selling.” – Matthew, Age 6
• “I didn’t know I could make this much money. Now I want to start my own business someday!” – Ethan, Age 12
• I did it to raise money for the Children’s Hospital and to try running my own business. I was a patient at the Children’s Hospital so I try to save money to donate to help other sick kids.” – Cerie, Age 12

Best Branding and Young Entrepreneur of the Year

We’re thrilled to announce the 2024 prize winners for Branding and Entrepreneurship!

Best Branding

Awarded to one young entrepreneur per age category who creates a unique and creative brand experience at their lemonade stand.

• Ages 5 & 6: Gary Smith, Age 5
• Ages 7 to 9: Fern Nickerson, Age 7
• Ages 10 to 13: Avaleigh and Aspen Graber, Ages 10 and 6

Entrepreneur of the Year

Awarded to one young entrepreneur per age category who demonstrates business success through financial reporting, impactful branding , and thoughtful reflection on their entrepreneurial journey.

• Ages 5 & 6: Noah Calalo, Age 6
• Ages 7 to 9: Russel, Alden, Ethan and Lillian McBain, Ages 9, 7, 7 and 5
• Ages 10 to 13: Ilaan and Idaya Dharshi, Age 12

Thank you to our sponsors

We want to give a huge Tiller shoutout to our sponsors! Jotson, our Main Squeeze Sponsor generously supported the event and visited several young entrepreneurs throughout the day to encourage them in their ventures.

We’d also like to thank our Lemon Drop Sponsors StellarAlgo, Impact Business Law, and High River; Lemmy’s Pal Sponsor Vista Projects; and Sweet Spot Sponsor Village Ice Cream.

Lemonade Day Calgary wouldn’t be possible without these generous contributions!

2025, anyone?

Lemonade Day Calgary is an annual event that helps youth learn important life skills, dream big, and achieve their goals while having a ton of fun. To learn more about Lemonade Day Calgary or sponsorship opportunities in 2025, contact us at hello@lemonadedaycalgary.com.