Sometimes all it takes to turn a bad day into a good one is the perfect beverage.
The idea cemented in Madison Andrade’s mind when she worked as a Dutch Bros barista in high school. Today, she’s still mixing flavors and syrups as a small business owner in college, handing out drinks that have the power to make someone’s day.
Give it a try
Buy your own dirty soda at the Thursday evening farmers market in downtown SLO. Follow the bubbles on Instagram @drinking.dirty for pop-up locations and other updates.
“I loved making the drinks and just being quick and making people happy with a drink because I love going and getting a fun drink somewhere,” the Cal Poly junior said. “I’m getting to do that for other people, and they’re coming and getting a drink from us for a fun experience.”
What started out as a dream project with her hometown friend and college roommate, Delainee Fernandes, turned into a demanding small business called “dirty.” The pair sells dirty sodas, a trendy elevation of the carbonated drinks with creamers and flavored syrups that rose to fame on TikTok. Now, the Central Coast gets to take a sip.
Equipped with a pop-up tent, payment system, and a signature menu, Andrade and Fernandes sold their first dirty sodas—almost 200 of them—at a Cal Poly panhellenic event in November 2025. Not long after, they debuted their Instagram account for the company, and a couple of days later, they were putting their concept to the test in front of an unrelenting line of customers.
“We thought it was going to be a cute little trial run, sell a couple sodas,” Andrade said. “But it ended up being insane.”
Sorority sisters from all over campus lined up for signature drinks like The Classic with Dr. Pepper, coconut syrup, and cream; The Dirty Float with Root Beer, vanilla syrup, and vanilla cream; and Lime in the Coconut with Diet Coke, lime and coconut syrups, and coconut cream.
A new concoction, Pink Wave, sees Fresca swirled with raspberry, coconut, and peach syrups alongside creamer. Customers can also make their own flavor combinations.
Three days after the panhellenic event, dirty appeared at the Paso Robles Farmers Market, one of the first places that wanted Andrade and Fernandes to come on a regular basis, which really excited them.
“We’re so thankful for the Paso Farmers Market to take a chance with us and let us pop up in the market and how nice they were,” Andrade said. “They helped us out with our insurance and things like that.”
Having grown up together in the Central Valley, Andrade and Fernandes are no strangers to working together. As kids, they lived 15 minutes away from each other and crossed paths in dance classes and at dairy cattle shows.
When they decided to venture forth with the business, one of the most challenging parts was obtaining a business license and health permit to be a vendor. After doing all the research, they submitted applications, “running around” San Luis Obispo to find the right offices. Then they waited to hear back.
“It took insanely long,” Andrade remembered.
After they got the administrative side covered, the roommates continued reaching out to promote themselves at different events like at SLO Ranch Farms and Marketplace and other sorority happenings. They found their target audience, resonating with the younger crowd in San Luis Obispo, and they said a regular group of customers follows them around to each pop-up.
Finally, they got the invitation from the Downtown SLO Farmers’ Market to start in January, where they spend Thursday nights.
Though the business occupies her mind nearly 24/7, Andrade feels that the customers make the effort worth it. Some of her friends even text her asking for a dirty soda, which she’ll drop off by request.
“I would say the most rewarding part would definitely be the customers and just seeing how happy they are to come and buy from us,” Andrade said.
With the end of college in sight for both Andrade and Fernandes, they’re beginning to plan their next move.
One of their main goals is to have a physical storefront in San Luis Obispo. They’ve talked about moving back to the Central Valley and bringing dirty soda closer to home, but maintaining a flagship where it all started is important to them.
“Our biggest fear was us not getting our name out there and somebody else doing it before us,” Andrade said. “So, we’re glad we took the chance.” ∆
Reach Santa Maria Sun Staff Writer Madison White, from New Times’ sister paper, at mwhite@santamariasun.com.
This article appears in Jan 15-22, 2026.