TENNY AVENISIAN LEMONETTE A line of salad dressings and marinades that are non-GMO and have no vinegar, sugar, soy, dairy, canola oil, artificial colors/preservatives, MSG, gluten or cholesterol.
BACKSTORY My husband and I both grew up in Armenian households where lemons were the base for salads, sauces and stews. When we got married, we often cooked together, and the common denominator in our repertoire was lemons. As work and parental responsibilities increased, I no longer had the time and luxury to whip up sauces and dressings from scratch. I started searching and tasted a few that had lemon, but those dressings didn’t satisfy my palate. The lemon diluted; I wanted lemon as the focal point. Once I saw that it did not exist, 10 years ago I took it upon myself to create that product line.
PIVOTAL MOMENT It wasn’t a moment but a year: 2019. Lemonette graduated from being a one-woman West Coast operation to a full-fledged national business. A loyal customer reached out to me and connected me to his daughter and we formed a partnership. We got Lemonette in Sprouts Markets—all 350 stores, coast to coast.
Tenny (right) with her business partner, Jehan Agrama
GET YOUR HANDS ON SOME Lemonette is in 700+ stores all over the U.S. In addition to Sprouts, it’s available at Gelson’s, Bristol Farms, Erewhon and online.
SECRET TO SUCCESS Passion, perseverance, and multitasking. At the start of my journey I did not have a formal business or culinary education. I still don’t. However, I taught myself the basics, and that, combined with my drive, is the formula for Lemonette’s success. Instead of romanticizing the notion, I rolled up my sleeves and dove into the unglamorous and tedious aspects of starting a brand from scratch. At the start of my journey, I was single-handedly keeping the brand afloat. Although I now delegate some of those tasks, I’ve kind of come full circle with the quarantine. As a mother to three, wife, teacher, homemaker and working professional, I’m multitasking constantly. As a female, I have that multitasking gene that allows me to manage and shift gears. It worked then—and it’s working now. ■
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