Cal Poly students launch popular dirty soda pop-up in SLO. What’s on the menu?
Every Thursday night, dozens of customers line up to grab a cup full of a trendy nonalcoholic concoction crafted by two Cal Poly roommates.
The sparkling drinks — known as dirty sodas — mix mainstream sodas with coconut cream, coffee creamers and fruit-flavored syrups.
First popularized in Utah, dirty sodas have sparked a massive following across the country as people develop a taste for the alcohol-free mixed drinks.
Cal Poly students and friends Delainee Fernandes and Madison Andrade told The Tribune they were tracking the sugary beverages’ surge in popularity — but they couldn’t find any San Luis Obispo businesses that sold dirty sodas.
So the agricultural business majors decided to take matters into their own hands and launch their own company, called dirty.
“We would be closing the gap of dirty sodas not being here, so we would be really appealing to other people,” Andrade recalled thinking at the time.
Now nearly four months in, armed with a pop-up tent, nine types of soda and energy drinks and an array of syrups that range from sour to sweet and creamy, the duo has amassed a loyal following of students and farmers marketgoers who can’t get enough of their menu.
Cal Poly roommates launch dirty soda business
Fernandes and Andrade grew up together in the Central Valley and have known each other most of their lives, Fernandes said, first meeting during dance classes and dairy cow shows.
Fernandes, who’s a year ahead of Andrade in school, said she convinced her friend to follow in her footsteps and attend Cal Poly a few years ago.
At college, they’ve stayed close, even moving in together two years ago.
At the tail end of summer 2025, the two friends were returning home to the Central Valley after wrapping up internships. In the final stretch of their road trip, a five-minute conversation evolved into an entire business plan for dirty.
Once they got home, the duo started mocking up ideas in a Google document, quickly coming up with their company’s name and the logo. They then ran to the store and bought a variety of syrups and sodas to start recipe testing.
Over the next few months, Fernandes and Andrade honed their products, applied for business permits and sought out pop-up spots at local farmers markets, school districts and even soccer leagues to sell their drinks.
Fernandes and Andrade kept the project under wraps until they officially launched the business in early November.
“It was a surprise to all of our friends,” Fernandes said. “The day we posted on social media was the day everybody found out, but it was fun.”
Their first day selling sodas at a Cal Poly Panhellenic event was a smashing success, the owners said. In a matter of hours, they sold 180 sodas — a number that remains one of their largest daily sales records.
“I never looked away from the drinks. She never looked away from the iPad,” Andrade said. “It was so crazy. It was so awesome.”
It was the perfect jumping off point for their business, they told The Tribune.
Drink company nabs spot at Downtown SLO Farmers Market
Soon after, Fernandes and Andrade nabbed a space at the Paso Robles Farmers Market and began pouring drinks for North County residents for a few weeks.
Then, over Christmas break, the owners landed the big break they had been waiting for — a confirmed place at the Downtown SLO Farmers’ Market.
Andrade said she was “in awe” when she and Fernandes landed the spot. They started selling dirty sodas at the Higuera Street market on Jan. 8.
Every Thursday night so far, dirty has sold more than 100 sodas and wracked up numerous repeat customers, Fernandes said.
“Before we were reaching out to people asking for us to go there, and now people are coming to us,” Fernandes said. “It’s crazy.”
The duo expects their customer base to only grow as the weather gets warmer and the days get longer.
What’s next for dirty?
Fernandes and Andrade are also in the process of launching a catering operation, with plans to serve at weddings, sorority events, birthdays and graduation parties.
The owners said their typical customers are college students and young people, but they are introducing more sugar-free options in an attempt to serve more health-conscious older adults.
However, the long-term future of the young business remains up in the air.
Fernandes graduates from Cal Poly in June and recently secured a full-time job in Hanford. She and her business partner have not yet determined whether they will continue operating at the Downtown SLO Farmers Market past June.
The two students’ ultimate goal is to open a brick-and-mortar location for dirty.
At the moment, however, they’re just giddy that their business has already garnered an adoring audience.
Andrade said she loves seeing dirty soda cups tossed in trash cans around town and campus because it means their operation has expanded way outside their friend group.
“We’re everywhere,” Andrade said.
“I mean, when you take a step back, you’re like, ‘Wow.’ Like, we actually did do this,” Fernandes said. “We actually did start a business and have sold so many drinks already.”
What sodas are on the menu?
The new dirty soda business sells eight signature soda combinations, as well as five “bombers” that contain Red Bull instead of soda.
Customers can also build their own drink combinations, choosing from eight bases, three creamers and 14 syrups. Each dirty soda costs $6 to $7.50, depending on the menu item.
Andrade recommended first-timers try the Pink Wave, which mixes Fresca with peach and raspberry syrups along with coconut and sweet and creamy creamers.
Fernandes said her favorite drink is the Dirty Float, a riff on the classic root beer float, containing root beer, vanilla syrup and vanilla cream.
Where to find dirty in SLO
Dirty is open at the Downtown SLO Farmers’ Market from 6 to 8:30 p.m. every Thursday.
The local business also hosts other pop-up events, publicized via its Instagram account.
