Pink Pony Soda brings unique drinks across the state

By ETHAN WALLACE 

CMU Journalism Intern

HARRISON – Pink Pony Soda is a new food truck LLC driving across Michigan selling unique twists on dirty sodas. 

Driving with a bright pink trailer, Jessica Guoan, her daughter Karlee Welkie and their family are spreading the word about the business they started this summer.

A dirty soda is typically a pop mixed with flavored syrup and creamer. Going into the food truck business, Guoan and Karlee said they knew they should do something different from other vendors.

Aside from the vibrant pink logo and food truck, Pink Pony put in effort, taste testing and experimenting to make their drinks stand out.

Their drinks range from their Peach Pony with Dr. Pepper, peach and vanilla creamer, to their iced coffees with caramel and cold foam. They do other “fun” add-ons such as edible glitter, gummy sharks and freeze-dried strawberries.

“I think that when you try to add things, it's not just a soda base, but something fun with it,” Guoan said. “I think that it's an experience with our dirty sodas.”

Pink Pony Soda also has a mission alongside creating unique drinks, they want to give back to communities across Michigan. Guoan said when they attend a non-profit event, Pink Pony Soda will donate 10% of its profits from that event to the organization.

“We definitely want to give back to our community, and part of the reason that we also started Pink Pony was because it was a way to give back wherever we go,” Gouan said.

The business started as an idea during what Gouan called the “winter boredom blues” at the end of 2025. She and her family noticed that food and drink vendors were popular during events and wanted to get into it. 

It also started so the family could travel and meet people, Welkie said. After gathering a lot of information on social media, product testing and only a little food experience, they figured out a menu for Pink Pony Soda.

The process of getting started was a lot of trial and error, but now Pink Pony is on the road.

Gouan said the eye-catching logo and design were created to be something fun and to grab people’s attention when they see the bright pink food truck.

“We grew up in the horse community,” Gouan said. “And we wanted to do something that was dynamic that got the attention of our main buying category, which is usually young women.”

Guoan hopes that if this summer goes well and Pink Pony Soda continues, her grandkids, Josie and Claire, will want to join in. She said that it would be a fun learning experience for them to travel and have a job in the future.

Pink Pony Soda has attended festivals, fairs and other events this summer. They are looking to be booked for private parties all year round: weddings, graduation and non-profit events. They will be a vendor at the upcoming Harrison Street Fair, Aug. 21-22 in Harrison.

Follow them on Facebook at Pink Pony Soda or email them at pinkponysodallc@gmail.com.