Santa Clara soda shop owner inspires women to push through obstacles, pursue dreams

SANTA CLARA —Inspired by a desire to financially provide for herself, a Utah entrepreneur has successfully navigated COVID-19 closures and construction shortages to open a shop in a quickly-developing area of Santa Clara, giving teenagers the unique opportunity to work their first jobs and showing herself just how strong she really is.

Cara Ramey, owner of Quench It! Santa Clara, stands inside her shop, Santa Clara, Utah, June 7, 2022 | Photo by Jessi Bang, St. George News
Cara Ramey, owner of Quench It! Santa Clara, stands inside her shop, Santa Clara, Utah, June 7, 2022 | Photo by Jessi Bang, St. George News

Cara Ramey, a mother of three and owner of Quench It! Santa Clara, said the pandemic created a shortage of equipment, construction materials and even workers. A business that was supposed to take just a few months to build and open, dragged on for well over a year.

She was finally able to open her soda shop in March. Ramey shares the experience of overcoming obstacles that showed up in her path, both from an economic standpoint and a woman-owned business.

Ramey said her choice to open a business all started when she broke her pelvis while pregnant with her youngest child. This difficult time resulted in multiple hospital stays, wheelchairs, surgeries and extensive medical debt. She realized she needed to create a business that would allow her to become financially independent.

She first chose to join an online social media-based business, which Ramey said was very successful. After that experience, she decided she was ready to branch out to other business opportunities and prove to herself that she could be a real businesswoman.

As she began the search for an in-person business she could both purchase and run, Ramey said she experienced quite a few challenges when it came to her gender. She said as a woman, many assumed she was an assistant or needed things explained to her in a very simplified way. She refused to let these experiences stop her from accomplishing the goals she had set for herself, and pushed forward.

Ramey said she felt drawn to explore the world of franchise business ownership. Franchise opportunities provide guidance and brand development, which can be extremely helpful for first-time business owners.

With a love for soda, she moved her search to soda companies that would fit what she was looking for – simplicity, less product waste, lower equipment cost, and a personal family-like feel. She was instantly drawn to Quench It! Soda. because of its family-owned and operated focus.

After she submitted an inquiry, she was shocked when she spoke with the owners directly – a husband and wife duo – instead of a representative of the company. She felt confident that she was supposed to join their franchise.

The Quench It! building and its sign shines under the afternoon sun, Santa Clara, Utah, June 7 2022 | Photo by Jessi Bang, St. George News
The Quench It! building and its sign shines under the afternoon sun, Santa Clara, Utah, June 7 2022 | Photo by Jessi Bang, St. George News

Ramey, a resident of Saratoga Springs, Utah, said she would visit the area of St. George often and was captivated by its beauty. Once she discovered Santa Clara and Ivins, she fell in love with the red rock views and Red Mountain in particular. She quickly went from visits to St. George to trips specifically planned for Santa Clara. As she noticed that the area did not have any soda shops, she decided it was the perfect place to open her business.

She made the move, quickly hired a developer and found the perfect location in Santa Clara, an area that was quickly showing signs of growth and development. Ramey said as soon as the offer was accepted on the property, her developer put up a “Quench it! Coming Soon” sign, to notify the public and other businesses that they would soon be there.

Shortly after the sign was in place, Ramey said her developer was approached by a competing soda company, which attempted to persuade them to put their soda business in the location, instead of hers.

“When I decided on this location, I was the only soda shop here. There were no others in the works at the time,” Ramey said.

The inside of Quench It! Santa Clara features a purchase desk, along with a menu and stools, Santa Clara, Utah, June 7 2022 | Photo by Jessi Bang, St. George News
The inside of Quench It! Santa Clara features a purchase desk, along with a menu and stools, Santa Clara, Utah, June 7 2022 | Photo by Jessi Bang, St. George News

After the developer declined the offer, Ramey said the competing soda shop then opened in a nearby shopping center. Quench It! opened its doors at the end of February and held a grand opening on March 5. While Quench It! Soda opened its first location in Heber, Utah, and now has various soda shop locations all over Utah, Ramey said this is the first shop to open in the southern part of the state. As for the competing soda shop, she said she believes there is room for everyone.

Currently, Quench It! is the only business open in the shopping center, located across from the new Ace Hardware in Santa Clara. Ramey foresees that as other businesses open, they will increase foot traffic to her shop. Royal Thai is set to open next door along with an InstaCare facility.

There are also plans to build a similar building to the one she is in now, which will feature more businesses as the area continues to grow. An outdoor monument sign is in the works for the shopping center, which will provide an easy way for passersby to see what businesses are inside.

A parent of teenagers herself, Ramey said she has made it a point to hire as many local Santa Clara and Ivins teens as possible. She also specifically accepts those that have not had any real work experience yet, no matter their age. As long as they’re willing to work. she’s willing to hire and train them, which can be a huge benefit for those that need that first chance. 

“I started working the day I was legally able to, out of necessity. I don’t want to deny anyone else that opportunity,” Ramey said.

Posters are featured on the walls inside Quench It! Santa Clara, Santa Clara, Utah, June 7 2022 | Photo by Jessi Bang, St. George News
Posters are featured on the walls inside Quench It! Santa Clara, Santa Clara, Utah, June 7 2022 | Photo by Jessi Bang, St. George News

Derek Maxwell, an employee of Quench It! Santa Clara, said this is his first real job and that Cara has been awesome, extremely nice, and easy to work with. He also said he enjoys the software the company uses on the job, which is easy to learn, along with the creation of specialty drinks. 

Quench It! Santa Clara serves award-winning cookies from Süss Cookie Company. Ramey personally picks up cookie orders and drives them over 400 miles from Midway, Utah down to Santa Clara on the same day to ensure they are fresh. The shop also offers pretzel knots, gourmet popcorn, a variety of creative soda drinks as well as flavored-packed water. The Santa Clara location  features an exclusive and unique drink created by Ramey called “Red Rock,” a Sprite-based drink with blackberry and guava. 

Quench It! Santa Clara offers dine-in, take-out and curbside pickup, as well as a drive-thru. For more information on Quench It, click here.

For more information on how to become a Daytime Quench It! team member, click here.

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Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2022, all rights reserved.

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