Bradenton father daughter duo’s tea company picked up by Lucky’s Market

As a child, Laura Mammina got into all sorts of activities — golf, skydiving and horseback riding. But driving race cars and drinking sweet tea is what stuck.

Now, Laura, 21, and her father, Joseph Mammina, 52, have founded the Southern Sweet Tea Company.

Their tea can be found in more than 200 stores, mostly in Florida, but Lucky’s Market is the first major supermarket to carry their products.

“A year ago, we weren’t even selling our tea in bottles,” Laura Mammina said. “Now, we’re in Lucky’s.”

Mammina, who participates in races at DeSoto Speedway, will attend Friday’s grand opening of Lucky’s Market at 3501 South Tamiami Trail, Sarasota. She will be there from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., giving customers the chance to see her car and sample her tea.

“They’re our first big grocery store. They’re really nice and it’s a cool experience for our company,” Laura said. “It’s taking off quicker than we thought.”

According to Mammina, there are no additives, acids or colors added to The Southern Sweet Tea Company’s products. It’s all-natural.

“It’s actually true southern sweet tea,” she said. “It tastes like tea.”

Mammina is a Bradenton native. She said the time she spent going to DeSoto Speedway with her dad is what got her interested in racing — and tea.

“We would go to races every Saturday and buy homemade tea from everyone else,” she said. “We liked it so much that we started making our own on the stove at home.”

One day at the track, Laura asked her father if she could drive with the other racers. Joseph quickly said yes, but she didn’t think he was serious until he called her while she was in class a few days later.

“I literally had to ask to go to the bathroom to be excused,” she said. “When I picked up, I asked what’s wrong and he says, ‘I found a car! You want to race?’ ”

Mammina said she didn’t know how to drive a manual transmission when her dad bought the car, but she was racing in no time.

That was four year ago.

Now, their next challenge is getting their sweat tea products into more supermarkets. Walmart is next on their list.

“We’re going to just keep moving forward. That’s what we’ve been doing this whole time. Any obstacle, we just overcome,” she said.

Ryan Callihan: 941-745-7095, @RCCallihan

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