New Orleans: July 20, 2011

To see photos of 100UE’s “Never Stop Pitching!” 60-Second Business-Pitch event in New Orleans on July 20, 2011, click here.

100 URBAN ENTREPRENEURS hit the Crescent City on Wednesday, July 20, hosting one of our signature “Never Stop Pitching!” 60-Second Business-Pitch events in conjunction with the Obama administration’s ongoing Urban Entrepreneurship Summit.

We fielded pitches from entrepreneurs from in and around the New Orleans area, and in the end one stood taller than all the rest: Don Harding Jr., the founder of Cool Fruit Sensations, a natural-beverage company based in Harvey, Louisiana, just south of the Big Easy.

Harding’s business (which he runs with his wife) is the epitome of success through top-notch service: All of Cool Fruit’s drinks are made on-site, in front of the customer, using only the highest-quality fruits — blueberry, lime, watermelon, lemon, strawberry, pineapple and more — and natural sweeteners.

At the moment, Cool Fruit is solely a traveling business, setting up shop at farmers’ markets and festivals throughout the region. Harding’s expansion plan, though, now includes establishing a physical storefront. His target market? Just about everyone. “Who down South, with our blazing heat, would turn down a refreshing fruit beverage made by hand, right in front of you, using fresh fruit?” he says. “In all my years of experience, I have never been associated with a product like this before. The response is sometimes so intense, it’s scary.”