Wow Wow Lemonade joins THE BLOCK lineup

RIO RANCHO — The lemonade that is supposed to make people say “wow” twice has set up shop in THE BLOCK.

Wow Wow Lemonade hopes to open this fall in its new brick-and-mortar location. Couple Mike and Michelle Gutierrez say they don’t have an exact date yet but are looking forward to it.

“The intention is to bring a bit of the ‘aloha’ spirit through food, and of course, customer service and all that jazz. But we’re bringing real fresh ingredients to your lemonade, so it kind of sets us apart,” Michelle said.

She says the name Wow Wow Lemonade comes from the influence behind their products.

“None of the recipes get put onto the menu unless everyone loves it. And you’ve got to say ‘wow’ twice. You say ‘wow’ once, it’s like OK, it’s good. But if the person says ‘wow’ twice, we know it’s good enough to get on our menu,” she explained.

That “wow” factor, according to the Gutierrezes comes from the fresh ingredients.

“We get asked all the time, ‘What makes it Hawaiian?’ Strawberries aren’t technically from Hawaii, pineapples are and stuff like coconuts, of course, but because we’re taking a real fruit or puree, putting it in the drink and the lemonades are crafted with real lemons, alkaline well water, and then organic cane sugar. Then you’re getting real ingredients in your beverage. That’s what makes us Hawaiian,” Mike said.

Michelle says the ingredients are why they really started with the company.

“Mike and I fell in love with it mostly because we could read all the ingredients on the menu in all their products. It was something that I felt proud to to eat but also to give my family. We decided to bring the concept to Albuquerque. The people in Albuquerque can also enjoy a little bit of the island,” she said.

She added that for people with allergies realizing they can finally have a drink they haven’t been able to before makes it worth it for them.

Mike says they also have many healthy food options.

“There’s a lot of bowls that we make as well. We have a really healthy menu. We have grain bowls, avocado toast and our menu can expand from there to flatbreads, but for THE BLOCK, we’re just going to try to focus on bowls and fruit smoothie bowls,” he said.

Since THE BLOCK is offering a variety of events and activities, the Gutierrezes hope to be a healthy option for people attending. Michelle gave the example of the people doing yoga before work in the mornings needing a quick breakfast before they head out.

The Gutierrezes chose Rio Rancho for that community aspect. They say they have been welcomed to THE BLOCK. Though they were hesitant to set up shop, they said they were impressed with the setup and the people.

“It was mostly just like the concept of the time; there was no structure yet, so we were interested but we didn’t have quite enough information. We’re like, ‘We’ll check it out as it continues to grow.’ We had a couple of people come from THE BLOCK over this period of a few months, and they just kept reaching out to us and saying, ‘Hey, you guys should really come check us out’,” Mike said.

After they talked with THE BLOCK, they found the potential for an underserved area of Rio Rancho and took the offer.

“We we felt like Rio Rancho really needed something to do. I know we’ve heard it from a lot of people in Rio Rancho saying, ‘There’s nothing to do,’ and so we thought this would be a fun new concept. Rio Rancho has supported us for many, many, many years that we’ve done all of our pop-ups in the food truck. It’s a really great way for us to continue to serve the people of Rio Rancho, and we just we love Rio Rancho as well. We feel like the vibe around THE BLOCK is very energetic,” Michelle said.

They have a soft spot for Rio Rancho because one of their first food truck events was at Cabezon Park. While the food truck has been fruitful, the brick and mortar in THE BLOCK gives them a secure location.

The challenge they face is mainly weather. However, as the cooler season approaches, the Gutierrezes say they have items to remedy a chilly day. A popular menu item is their hot lemonade.

For now, as they anticipate their opening, they are just excited to have customers try their “aloha” taste.

“They should come to our lemonade to get a delicious, fresh lemonade made with real ingredients that we puree ourselves, and they’re going to get a consistent product. They’re going to get friendly service, and they’re going to get it in the spirit of aloha here in the southwest,” Michelle said.

For more information, visit wowwowhawaiianlemonade.com.