Michaela Boddie
Founder of Blacker The Berry Lemonade
Chicago-born. Charlotte-based.
Michaela Boddie — known to many as Mikki Thee Boddie or Lemonade Bae — is the visionary behind Blacker The Berry Lemonade, a handcrafted lemonade brand that’s as soulful and intentional as it is delicious. Born in Chicago and now based in Charlotte, Michaela blends Midwest roots with Southern richness to create more than a beverage — she’s creating a cultural experience, a community platform, and a movement grounded in legacy.
Blacker The Berry Lemonade was born out of love — a homemade gift for her daughter’s birthday. That first jar carried more than lemon juice. It carried lineage. It carried joy. It carried story. From there, Michaela began developing bold, layered flavors that pay tribute to Black excellence, resistance, and artistry across the U.S. and the Caribbean. Each lemonade is named, flavored, and poured with purpose.
Praise is a blood orange lemonade honoring the duality of DMX — a man who carried grit and grace in equal measure. Midwife’s Lullaby is lavender-forward and inspired by the Black women whose labor brings life into this world without ever being centered. Echoes, her hibiscus-based flavor, reflects the solemn beauty of Juneteenth and Memorial Day — two commemorations that live in the tension of celebration and mourning. Every jar tells the truth, even when it tastes sweet.
But Michaela didn’t stop with flavor.
Through Cycle Tha Dolla, a community-driven fundraising series, Michaela has helped raise awareness and donations for locally based Black-led nonprofits doing transformative work. The initiative has evolved into the foundation for the Blacker The Berry Lemonade Stand Internship, a hands-on educational program for middle and high school students that teaches financial literacy, business strategy, sales, customer service, event planning, and civic responsibility. It’s how Michaela ensures that the next generation is not just inspired by her story — but equipped to write their own.
Michaela’s work is a masterclass in cultural entrepreneurship. Every element of her brand — from the vibrant jars with neon branding to her storytelling series The Sip Sessions: Savor the Stories on Patreon — is deeply rooted in honoring the past, activating the present, and imagining a liberated future.
She is currently expanding Blacker The Berry Lemonade into new markets through retail partnerships, ghost kitchens, community events, and strategic collaborations — all while keeping Black culture at the center.
Because for Michaela Boddie, lemonade is more than a product.
It’s memory.
It’s mission.
It’s movement.
And most of all — it’s for the culture, by the culture.
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