This Freehold Township teen started his own business. See what happened next

When you are 14 years old, jobs are hard to come by.

So what's a teen to do?

If you're Lucas Salzman, you start your own business.

The Freehold Township High School freshman launched his soda and coffee company, Lue's Brew, earlier this year.

"My mom told me that I needed to get a job, (but) as a 14-year-old, not a lot of jobs accept 14-year-olds. So I decided to start my own thing," Lucas said.

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Choosing a business idea was easy. Lucas' mom, Lindsay Abbate, once ran a cafe out of her father's Matawan bakery, Abbate Bakery, "and I used to mix syrups with seltzers and make Italian sodas," he said.

Lucas and his mom connected with G&M Coffee Roasters in Staten Island, the coffee vendor Abbate used for her cafe, to secure bagged coffee beans, and talk of "brewing" coffee made Lucas think of root beer. He and Abbate researched soda companies and found a New Hampshire business making old-fashioned flavors like orange cream, vanilla cream, raspberry lime rickey and black cherry.

"They have a concentrated flavor because they're hand-made in small batches," Abbate said. "You get such a nice punch of flavor."

Lucas is in charge of choosing which flavors are sold under the Lue's Brew label, which is available at Confections of a Rockstar in Asbury Park, Jersey Freeze in Freehold Township, Mugsy's Mercantile in Point Pleasant Beach, The Market at RWV Land and Livestock in Jackson, Mambo Italiano in Colts Neck and nearly three dozen other restaurants and markets at the Shore and around the state.

"There are a lot of flavors that a lot of people would say are popular and that they like a lot, so those are the flavors I pick," said Lucas, whose favorite is root beer.

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In a Lue's Brew van that Abbate jokes will be her son's first car, the family makes deliveries between school, marching band practice (Lucas plays the trumpet), mixed martial arts and community service clubs.

Lue's Brew's sodas and coffee beans also are available online , and the business offers root beer gardens and a soda cart — gelato floats and gelato ice cream sandwiches are an option — for parties and events.

"We do stuff like birthday parties, graduation parties, and we also go to different farmers markets," said Lucas, who recently provided a root beer garden during Oktoberfest at Bakes Brewing Co. in Belmar.

Giving back

Each month, Lucas donates a portion of his profits to a local charity.

"We just figured that would be a nice thing to do for people in need," he said. "Usually we donate several hundred to $1,000."

Since putting his sodas in stores in April, the money has benefited organizations that support pediatric cancer research, suicide prevention, domestic violence awareness and autism services.

As for what owning Lue's Brew has taught him about entrepreneurship so far, Lucas' answer was all business.

"Mostly, I've learned things about profit margins, things that you need to know about money to effectively run the business," he said.

"It's absolutely incredible to see what kind of person he started as and what he is now. His patience, the things he's sacrificed..." Abbate said. "He really has been courageous (when) reaching out to people. I believe that you can't get anywhere unless you reach out, and I think he's really learning a lot in that way."

Where to find Lue's Brew: A full list of locations is at luesbrew.com ; 732-991-0596; instagram.com/luesbrew.

Sarah Griesemer joined the USA TODAY NETWORK New Jersey in 2003 and has been writing all things food since 2014. Send restaurant tips to sgriesemer@gannettnj.com, follow on Instagram at Jersey Shore Eats and subscribe to our Jersey Shore Eats newsletter .

This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: This Freehold Township teen started his own business. See what happened next