A mini-documentary series produced by Vice entitled ‘Side Hustles’ has brought to light the thriving business of New York City basketball coach and ex SUNY New Platz basketball player Amseshem Foluke who sells ‘spiked juice’ for thousands per year.
In the mini-doc Amseshem outlines the premise of his business, which began in 2005 when he was in college. He explains the concept of a ‘Nutcracker’ (a mix of fruit juice and liquor) and their levels of popularity in New York City; Amseshem began making ‘Oyays’ in order to jump on this trend and make some money. The legality of ‘Nutcrackers’ and ‘Oyays’ is unclear but Foluke tags his drink as a ‘premium spiked juice,’ which clears up any uncertainty as to what it contains, though he does claim that the “goal is to be legit.”
Foluke states early on in the mini-doc that on a sunny month in and around New York he could easily make $20k selling his ‘premium spiked juices’, though this has been impacted by Covid-19 and lockdown measures. He explains to Vice that due to Covid-19 he has to provide a good product as well as a good service and must establish a good relationship with his customers in order to achieve repeat purchases – though as someone described as a “good vibe” this seems simple enough.
Oyays are made with thick juice and different types of liquor such as cognac and Foluke has expressed a desire for investors; in the documentary he is pushed towards a potential collaboration with Jäger by a buyer, which could lead him to even more profit.
At the end of the mini-doc Foluke states that “2020 was my last year selling drinks on the street” despite making over $1k in a single day just a few seconds prior in the doc – he claims that “anywhere you go you’re gonna be catching the Oyay vibe” as he plans on instead selling his mixers in airports, supermarkets and bars.
Undoubtedly this is just the beginning for Amseshem Foluke.
