When Lauren Farrell, ‘13, took her first shot of Fireball in college, she thought it tasted like the Big Red chewing gum — the kind her grandfather always kept in his candy drawer. She wondered if she could create an alcohol that tasted like another candy he stored there: Juicy Fruit. 

As a senior at Lehigh, Farrell wanted her brand to appeal to young people like herself. She began playing with a double entendre that would, eight years later, become the name of her vodka. 

“I took pen to paper and I realized how I could spell it,” she said. “I’d spell it J-O-O-I-C-Y, and it was like little boobies.”

The idea was shelved until 2020, when Farrell revisited it and launched I’m Thirsty LLC.

Now packaged in a slim, clear bottle featuring a female figure, the gluten-free vodka is sold in stores in New Jersey and online in 47 states. 

The product is made in small batches in Fort Pierce, Fla, from non-GMO corn. It’s charcoal-filtered six times to increase purity and produce a smoother, slightly sweeter taste than other spirits.

Lauren Farrell is pictured posing with one of her company’s vodka bottles, which depicts a female figure. The company donates 10% of its revenue to Move Over Breast Cancer, a nonprofit founded by Paula Flory, ‘85. (Courtesy of Lauren Farrell)

Farrell said her interest in launching a business took shape while she was a student in Professor Pasquale Costa’s Entrepreneurship 101 course.

“Entrepreneurship was the marriage of business and creativity, something I had always loved and done innately as a kid,” she said. “I just didn’t know it was called entrepreneurship.”

She said Lehigh also emphasized the importance of understanding a target market when developing a product.

Farrell’s first venture after graduating was a stadium-approved wrist wallet, created after she noticed a lack of handbags designed for fans who value both fashion and sports. 

When designing the bag, Farrell surveyed potential customers, asking whether they preferred  magnetic closures or zippers, and crossbody straps or shoulder bags. 

“There’s so much power in talking to your target markets,” Farrell said. “You talk to them for enough time, and you instantly know.” 

Farrell said donating to breast cancer causes was a natural fit for the brand and led her to partner with Move Over Breast Cancer, a nonprofit founded by Paula Flory, ‘85. Ten percent of Jooicy Tits’ profits are donated to Move Over Breast Cancer. 

The organization provides a mobile resource lounge and salon that travels directly to patients’ homes. 

The two met through a mutual friend with breast cancer, who believed a partnership would be mutually beneficial. 

“(Farrell) has just been so amazing because she really gets what we’re doing (with) Move Over Breast Cancer,” Flory said. “She’s supporting me more than I’m supporting her.”

Flory was diagnosed with stage 3 locally advanced breast cancer in 2011. She said the diagnosis felt like “getting hit by a train,” but she pushed forward for her family and to inspire others. 

After leaving her job in 2020, Flory spent a year and a half fundraising. In June 2021, she began traveling to women’s homes in her “Glam Van,” fitting them for bras and teaching them how to tie head scarves. 

“I realized that maybe I was going through this experience for a greater purpose,” she said. “So I could actually help people not feel so alone in the experience.” 

Flory said Farrell regularly sponsors and attends the nonprofit’s golf events, helping to expand its reach. 

Susan Mullarkey, a customer and breast cancer survivor, said she was enthusiastic about Farrell’s shift from handbags to vodka and supported the brand’s mission. 

“She’s a powerful woman,” Mullarkey said. “In the future, she’s going to be one of (those) women that make a statement for other upcoming entrepreneurs.” 

Farrell said entrepreneurship can be challenging, particularly when competing with large,  established companies.

She said branded bar mats were sometimes thrown away by bar staff who mistook them for trash — a costly loss for a small business. 

“You can cross your T’s and dot your I’s and do everything right, but something is always going to go wrong,” Farrell said.

While people may laugh at the name or packaging, they respond strongly to the company’s mission. 

Farrell hopes Jooicy Tits will become an international brand, allowing her to give back to Lehigh, where she discovered her passion for entrepreneurship.

Mullarkey said that goal is realistic.  

“It’s not going to be Tito’s anymore,” she said. “It’s going to be Tits.”