When 12-year-old Joey DiRocco approached his parents about wanting to make a sports drink, they told him to search the internet to learn how.
Within an hour of his dinnertime conversation with his parents, DiRocco was on his second phone call with a sports drink company in California — only because on the first one, “I just got too nervous, so I hung up," DiRocco said. "But then I called again. But that time I did get on the phone."
DiRocco was interested in learning how to make his own sports drink after discovering that some of the ingredients in one of his favorite sports drinks “weren’t the greatest.”
So DiRocco did what any kid would do: He asked his parents. Then he searched the internet. Then the Dunstable boy took a step few other kids would take.
“After dinner, he went upstairs and, by himself, got the phone number of this California company,” said DiRocco’s mother, Francesca Navarro. “I didn't even realize it until I walked upstairs and heard him on the phone with an adult. I was like, Whoa, who are you talking to?”
One year later, DiRocco has teamed up with a different sports drink company — Kentucky-based beverage company Flavorman — to make his very own sports drink: Sparklytes.
Flavorman worked with DiRocco and his parents, Francesca and Justin Navarro, to get the flavor exactly to DiRocco’s preference, and it took some time. From idea to final product, it has taken a little over two years, and in that time, DiRocco says the process has taught him a lot about what goes into a sports drink.
Inventing a product to give back
Sparklytes is a way for DiRocco to give back to Easterseals Massachusetts, a nonprofit that supports children and adults with disabilities. DiRocco has congenital nystagmus, a condition that causes involuntary, repetitive eye movements. The nonprofit provided him with assistive technology, including an iPad, text-to-speech software, and other devices to enhance his independence in reading and writing.
“Easterseals gave me assistive technology to help me get one level ahead in my reading. So I was doing really good with my reading because they gave me this technology that helped me a lot,” said DiRocco. “After I realized how much it helped me in school, I decided, wait, I want to give back to them. I want to repay them for everything they've done for me during my school journey.”
In addition to the gear it gave him, Easterseals Massachusetts also awarded DiRocco the Pioneer Award, a trophy bigger than DiRocco himself. The award is given annually to a boy or girl with disabilities in Massachusetts who “demonstrates the pioneering spirit of former Easterseals Massachusetts (ESMA) President Richard A. LaPierre.”
Six flavors, seeking more partners
Sparklytes isn’t on shelves or available quite yet. First, DiRocco and his parents are in the process of finalizing the recipe and scaling up for production. Sparklytes needs to find a manufacturer, figure out pricing, and determine the size of the first production run.
Although it has yet to begin manufacturing, the sports drink already has six flavors: blue raspberry, lemon-lime, black cherry, blueberry-lemonade, orange, and peach-mango, DiRocco’s favorite.
According to his father, DiRocco eventually wants to see the drink made with all-natural ingredients and put on the shelves of Whole Foods. This might take some time because, according to DiRocco, “organic is way more expensive.”
“I've learned that it's definitely not easy making a drink. But I've picked up a few, like, business skills on the way,” said DiRocco.
