Turned Lemons Into Lemonade – The Devin Espadron Story

July 21, 2021 |

November 19th, 2019, will always be embedded in my memory.

November 19th, 2019, was a bright and sunny day. I awakened early; and was excited about Devin moving back home. He texted me two days prior to his arrival, “Kiki I love you: I’m moving back home.” I still have that text saved on my phone. I remember so vividly when Devin arrived, we both were laughing and smiling. We embraced each other so tightly. Devin briefly shared with me, “I had a lot of time to think about things, I have decided to revamp my life and the business.” I said, “Okay, Blue (the family dog) and I missed you. After packing all his belongings in the garage and in his room, Devin said, “Kiki I’ll be back later”. He kissed me on the cheek. He smiled. I smiled and he drove off. Night falls it is 10 p.m., Devin wasn’t home. I went to bed, I wanted to call him, but I didn’t. I didn’t want him to think I was smothering him. I was just so glad he moved back home. I went to bed believing he would be coming in soon. My phone rang at 2:30 a.m. with the unthinkable news. Devin had been tragically shot at Audubon Park. At that moment I was shocked, numb, and my heart was racing. I lost my child, my baby. My life as I once knew it changed forever.

Who was Devin Espadron? Devin E. (nickname to him) was a young black man born August 14th, 1997, to the parents of David and Keishia Espadron. Our son was a pleasant and adventurous kid who always wanted to own his own business. He first started wanting to own his own farm. We still joke about this today. Devin was a dreamer and visionary. He learned early in life with persistence, diligence, and never accepting “No” as a final answer, he would be doing great things. Entrepreneurship was in his blood. Devin was always selling stuff, tennis shoes, hoodies, t-shirts, etc. In April 2016 Devin created Element Beverage Company.

Element Beverage Company was established in April 2016 by The Late Devin Espadron during his senior year at St. Augustine High School. Devin attended a class trip to the World of Coca-Cola in Atlanta, Ga. He was so intrigued by what he learned about the history of Coca-Cola when he returned, he said, “Kiki, I am starting a beverage company.”

Devin spent countless hours consulting with his grandmothers, working in the kitchen mixing different fruits and sweeteners together until he developed a unique flavor, “Pineapple Lemonade”. The company name, Element, is derived from this chemistry class, the periodic table.

The business officially manifested when Devin began selling his homemade lemonade in one-gallon jars to family, friends, local businesses, and food festivals in the City of New Orleans.

The big buzz of the delicious and unique taste of “Element’s Pineapple Lemonade” quickly spread throughout the City of New Orleans. The demand of the lemonade orders overwhelmed Devin’s homemade operation. Devin fearlessly welcomed the challenges of bottling his own products. Again, Devin amazed us by tackling the complex tasks of researching and learning everything he could about the beverage and bottling industry. In 2018, Element Pineapple Lemonade was formulated, shelf stabled, and bottled. In that same year two additional flavors were added, strawberry and tropical fruits. Devin’s dreams of having his products formulated and on store shelves finally came true. His next big dream, to land a lucrative deal with Coca-Cola.

Sadly, Devin’s precious life and bright future were cut short by senseless gun violence in the City of New Orleans on November 19th, 2019, at Audubon Park.

Despite, the tremendous loss of Devin, his passion, dreams, and legacy of Element Beverage Company continue to live through his parents. The company is currently owned and operated by his parents David Espadron and Keishia Deverney. The Company’s current name, Element2 Beverage Company, DBA Element Beverages. Devin’s diligence, hard work, and determination of branding Element Beverages continue to reach a large spectrum of customers today.

Element’s Mission: Element is a story, it’s an inspiration, and a movement to always strive to be great. Our mission is to be influential and empower the world to step out of their element, taste their dreams, and achieve their true potential.

‘’ With faith and strength from God, we can stand together and stand strong. With the love and support of the community, Element Beverages still exists and the legacy lives, we are growing. Hail King Devin, Hail the Legend…. The family of Devin Espadron, love you, and thank you. God Bless.

-David Espadron and Keishia Deverney.

If you would like to support the Element Brand, purchase tickets for the Element Festival taking place Saturday, August 14th, 2021 at the Southern Food and Beverage Museum, using this link. The festival is a fundraiser to help build the Element Exhibit at The Museum and to fund the Devin Espadron Foundation. The event will include live entertainment, local food vendors, cash bars, raffles, and guest speakers!