LINCOLN PARK \u2014 A year ago, Eddie Favela was hand-bottling homemade agua frescas in mason jars and plastic bottles, selling them to fellow DePaul students out of his Lincoln Park apartment.<\/p>\n
Today, the 21-year-old is the CEO of Vidagua, a fast-growing agua fresca brand that has sold more than 125,000 bottles and is on shelves in retail stores in a dozen states. Favela, a DePaul University finance student from suburban Elmhurst, didn\u2019t intend to \u2014 but he turned his family-inspired recipes into the foundation of a small beverage empire.<\/p>\n
\u201cTo be completely honest, when I first started, it was more of a side hustle than anything,\u201d Favela said. \u201cIt was really not anticipating scaling into a full company and growing in other states.\u201d Favela said working on Vidagua came naturally and was partly inspired by his upbringing.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was just really selling things I was passionate about,\u201d he said. \u201cMy mother and my grandmother cooked so much for me as a kid, and so that\u2019s where I think I get my good taste from.\u201d Aguas frescas \u2014 which translates to \u201cfresh waters\u201d \u2014 are a traditional Mexican and Central American drink made by blending fruit, seeds or flowers with water and sugar. Vendors in Mexico serve them out of large glass jugs on the street, where their bright colors draw in people walking by.<\/p>\n
The drinks are meant to be light and refreshing, and unlike sodas or juices, aguas frescas are prized for their natural ingredients and balance of flavor. They should taste like the fruit they\u2019re made from, not syrup or concentrate, Favela said. Vidagua is sold in three flavors \u2014 Mango Ginger, Jamaica Hibiscus and Cucumber Lemon \u2014 packaged in six-packs that retail for about $18. Each flavor puts a modern twist on traditional aguas frescas, while sticking to the drink\u2019s roots of using simple, natural ingredients.<\/p>\n
Favela\u2019s posts about his work on social media soon caught the attention of his father, who runs a Mexican restaurant chain in the western suburbs. He said his father pitched the concept to his business partner and the family started selling the beverages at the restaurants to rave reviews. \u201cThat showed me that the proof of concept was there and that there was a market for this type of product,\u201d Favela said.<\/p>\n
Favela realized if Vidagua was going to make it onto retail shelves, he had to figure out how to scale up. That meant moving beyond small batches with a seven-day shelf life and learning about everything from preservatives to co-packers and distributors. Favela spent months interviewing over a dozen vendors and manufacturers; within a year, he had managed to get Vidagua distributed and sold in 12 states.<\/p>\n
Favela will graduate this fall \u2014 a year early \u2014 and plans to dedicate even more of his time to Vidagua. He said he wouldn\u2019t be where he is today without the support of the faculty at DePaul. At DePaul\u2019s Coleman Entrepreneurship Center, led by Bruce Leech, Favela was invited to offer samples of his drinks on campus and gather feedback from students. The Keeley Finance Academy, led by professor Martin Essenburg, gave him lessons that prepared him for the unpredictable grind of the beverage business.<\/p>\n
\u201cGrowing up, the church has really helped me find my identity and be rooted regardless of what I do,\u201d Favela said. \u201cMy family has been the biggest support system in my life. My parents, my siblings, they\u2019ve always made me believe that I can do anything.\u201d That sense of grounding also comes from Favela\u2019s Mexican heritage, which he said is central to the mission of Vidagua.<\/p>\n
Favela sees Vidagua expanding into at least 30 states and more than 500 retail locations within the next year. A new product line is already in the works for 2026, though details are still under wraps. \u201cThat\u2019s one of the beauties of life,\u201d Favela said. \u201cSo much is unexpected. That\u2019s the thing that gets me up in the morning.\u201d For Favela, the unexpected turns are what make the journey worthwhile. He encouraged other students and aspiring entrepreneurs to take their own leaps. \u201cIf you have a passion, always, always, always go for it,\u201d he said. \u201cAlways take the shot.\u201d<\/p>\n
Eddie Favela\u2019s journey from a small-scale agua fresca seller to the CEO of Vidagua is a testament to the power of passion, hard work, and support. With his family-inspired recipes and commitment to natural ingredients, Favela has built a brand that is not only delicious but also respectful of its Mexican heritage. As Vidagua continues to expand and grow, it will be exciting to see what the future holds for this young entrepreneur and his beverage empire.<\/p>\n
Q: What inspired Eddie Favela to start Vidagua?
\nA: Favela was inspired by his family\u2019s recipes and his Mexican heritage to start Vidagua.
\nQ: What are the flavors of Vidagua?
\nA: Vidagua is sold in three flavors: Mango Ginger, Jamaica Hibiscus, and Cucumber Lemon.
\nQ: Where is Vidagua currently sold?
\nA: Vidagua is currently sold in retail stores in a dozen states.
\nQ: What are Favela\u2019s plans for the future of Vidagua?
\nA: Favela plans to expand Vidagua into at least 30 states and more than 500 retail locations within the next year, and is also working on a new product line for 2026.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Introduction to Vidagua LINCOLN PARK \u2014 A year ago, Eddie Favela was hand-bottling homemade agua frescas in mason jars and plastic bottles, selling them to fellow DePaul students out of his Lincoln Park apartment. The Birth of a Beverage Empire Today, the 21-year-old is the CEO of Vidagua, a fast-growing agua fresca brand that has […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":28668,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rank_math_lock_modified_date":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[29],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-28667","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-dining"},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/bcc-newspack.s3.amazonaws.com\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Featured-Photo-Collage-18.jpg?w=1920&resize=1920,1080&ssl=1","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/chicago\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28667"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/chicago\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/chicago\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/chicago\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/chicago\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=28667"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/chicago\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28667\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":28669,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/chicago\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28667\/revisions\/28669"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/chicago\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/28668"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/chicago\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=28667"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/chicago\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=28667"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/chicago\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=28667"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}