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Sodalicious lands new Provo headquarters, founders part ways

By Karissa Neely daily Herald - | Feb 1, 2017
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Provo's new Apple Creek Amish Market, on State St. in Provo on Friday, Jan. 30, 2015. GRANT HINDSLEY, Daily Herald

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Kent and Anna K Findlay with their three boys. The Findlays helped found Provo-based Sodalicious, but announced they were leaving the company Jan. 31, 2016. 

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In this July 30, 2015, file photo a worker prepares drinks at Sodalicious in Provo, Utah.

When the Apple Creek Amish Market announced it was closing its south Provo location, its small following of fans were downtrodden. But Sodalicious, a Provo born-and-bred business specializing in shaken and stirred sodas, signed a lease Wednesday morning on the location.

While carbonated, caffeine-laden flavored sodas might be quite the departure from traditional Amish specialties, the owners of Sodalicious felt the location was a perfect fit for Sodalicious’ new headquarters and bakery.

“We love Provo so much. There were other options outside the city, but we really wanted to stay in Provo,” said Kevin Auernig, Sodalicious CEO.

Auernig said the new location will house a larger bakery, as they’ve outgrown the current bakery location on 600 North in Provo. They are expecting to bake more than one million cookies in 2017.

Sodalicious started mixing things up in 2013, and already boasts 13 locations in Utah and Arizona. As the business bubbles onward, it will do so without two of its founders, Anna K and Kent Findlay. Anna and Auernig’s wife, Annie, loved mixing drinks, and originally wanted a place where other soda lovers could enjoy the same — without unlocking a plethora of kids’ seatbelts. They roped their husbands, Kevin and Kent, into the venture, and things exploded from there.

The Findlays said Wednesday that they are now parting ways with Sodalicious to pursue other entrepreneurial ventures.

“All the conditions are right to start something new,” said Kent Findlay. “We have another business we want to start.”

Anna K, who was initially heavily involved in the company, has returned to her first love — wardrobe design for motion picture studios. Kent said he is poised to start a motion picture advertising business, Headquarters Media, this summer.

Sodalicious redeemed the Findlays’ shares of the business. Kevin Auernig will continue as CEO, Annie Auernig will continue as chief product officer, and Kevin Santiago will continue his role as chief development officer. Santiago joined the executive team in 2014.

“We’re thankful for their contribution to Sodalicious, and we wish Kent and Anna K all the best in their upcoming ventures,” Kevin Auernig said Wednesday.

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