PHOTOGRAPH PROVIDED BY JUKEBOX
It’s no secret that coffeeshop culture runs deep in the Queen City. Whether your goal is to get your caffeine fix or meet up with an old friend over delicious drinks, you’ll find a multitude of options. But what about the coffee critics of the world? Are they doomed to missing out on the perks of an inviting third space due to a difference in taste? As someone who doesn’t like coffee, Jay Scherger found both the answer and solution is clear: sparkling beverages.
Scherger describes his brainchild, Jukebox, as a “quirky cocktail bar without the cocktails.” Set to open in Mason’s Deerfield Towne Center this summer, the sparkling beverage bar will feature an infinite number of carbonated flavor combinations with customization options such as protein and probiotics. The menu will have everything from sparkling water-based drinks with fresh ingredients and fruits to “dirty” sodas and boba-infused drinks to fruit slushies and sour blends.
“I was always envious of what I saw in coffee culture in America,” Scherger says. “People are so into it. They know so much about the beans and where they come from and different roasting techniques. I was like ‘man, I can’t get into it because I don’t really like coffee.’ I spent a lot of time in the beverage aisle and tried a lot of the canned ones, and it was always fun, but it was always one of those things where I felt like it could be better if I could make it exactly what I want and nothing in it that I don’t.”
With a background in food and beverage management at The Kroger Co., Scherger says Jukebox the clear next up in his professional progression. He sees his new beverage venture as the answer to a major market gap he found after testing the shop’s concept in early 2024. “I didn’t do this as a lifestyle brand,” he says. “I did this because I think there’s a massive hole in the market and I think Jukebox can be the solution for these consumers.”
Following the successful concept test, a fellow entrepreneur challenged him to the most important step yet: proving that the drinks would actually sell. So he and his team set off to Findlay Market and Covington Oktoberfest armed to validate their findings.
“We thought, ‘if there’s going to be 5,000 people in the market today, can we get 100 to buy a drink?’” Scherger says. “Or the next time, can we get 150 people without doing any marketing? Can people see it? Are they interested enough? And we kept beating our sales goals.”
The proof was in the pudding—or perhaps it was in the popping boba and probiotics. Jukebox had all the makings of success. The only thing missing was physical real estate, which would soon prove to be a stumbling block in Scherger’s journey. After charging full steam ahead toward this imagined fizz-topia, he left his full-time job as senior director of Product Experience at Kroger, but his plans suddenly came to a halt. “We thought we were really close to having our first location locked, and then, the first week or so after I left, it all fell apart,” Scherger says.
Determined to remain focused and move forward, he and his team continued developing the concept through taste testing and sampling, and soon, the Mason location was on their radar. Thanks to the town’s fair share of young millennials and children (a.k.a the ideal Jukebox demographic), things quickly fell back into place.
Now, with a grand opening within sight, Scherger is giddy to get business going and hopes customers will enjoy a drink from the practically endless menu stocked with premium ingredients while experiencing what he deems a “counter coffee culture.”
“I had a conversation with a local university, and they were saying ‘well, you know, kids these days want their Starbucks’, and I said, my goal is 10 years from now, the kids that are coming in are going to say they want their Jukebox,” he says.
5859 Deerfield Blvd., Mason, jukeboxbevs.com
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