By Tristen Critchfield
Khalil Lorando has an entrepreneurial spirit that isn’t commonly found in someone his age.
When the 11-year-old Rio Rancho resident asked his mom to buy him a car, she told him that if he wanted to drive by the time he was in high school, he was going to have to work for it. That, in a nutshell, is how Kyreeze Lemonade — the moniker is a merging of Lorando’s middle name, Kyrie, and the word “squeeze” — was born approximately three years ago.
This isn’t your typical neighborhood lemonade stand. Kyreeze Lemonade has been registered with the New Mexico Secretary of State as a domestic limited liability company since Feb. 11, 2025. Lorando’s mother, Kenzetta Lang, is listed as the registered agent and organizer of the business. It’s the type of credibility a neighborhood kid slinging drinks on the sidewalk doesn’t usually have, but it was also born out of necessity.
Lorando’s venture started out small, but the Kyreeze Lemonade soon became a regular at the Cabezon Shop Local Market at Rio Rancho’s Cabezon Park, and the brand was successful enough to attract notice from competitors.
“We gave that a go the first year, and then he did really well,” said Lang, a prosecution specialist with the Second Judicial District Attorney’s Office. “In the second year, there was a lemonade company who didn’t like that Kyreeze Lemonade was taking his business. So we were informed we couldn’t do Shop Local anymore as a pop-in vendor or a kid vendor. He had to legitimize his business.”
Lorando is also the youngest affiliated business owner with the Black Chamber of Commerce of New Mexico.
“What is so amazing about him is he has a business plan. He has a website. He has all of his licensing,” said BCCNM president and CEO Karla Causey. “He already has all of these things done, which I don’t have even some of my older population that does that.
“He’s very engaged. I have hired him a couple of times to provide lemonade for us.
I’ve also attended events where he is in the booth with his family, and he’s taking all of the orders on the iPad and collecting the funding. He’s just really, really into being an entrepreneur.”
In addition to the Shop Local Market, Kyreeze Lemonade has been found at a variety of small businesses and community events — including a Juneteenth celebration at Haynes Park in June 2025. Lang estimates that her son has attended approximately 20 events overall since Kyreeze Lemonade’s inception. Lorando has all the necessary equipment, professional signage and branded cups to effectively sell his wares, which include traditional and specialty lemonades, limeades and Red Bull-infused refresher drinks.
“Meeting people and making money” are the best parts of the job, Lorando says.
There are also challenges that accompany being a young business owner. Sometimes the open vendor spots fill up quickly, and because he’s still in school, Lorando primarily sells during summer vacation — though he took this season off to travel with his family. Lang says they are in talks with the district about being a vendor for school activities in the near future. Regardless of how that plays out, Kyreeze Lemonade will be back on a regular schedule in the summer of 2027.
“It’s hard,” Lorando says of running a business, “and not all the money goes to me.”
Lang says Lorando made about $1,100 during his first year operating the lemonade stand, but profits were limited in 2025 due to the costs of legitimizing his business. His earnings are distributed into three envelopes: wallet, savings and investment. The target is to own a Jeep Wrangler by the time he turns 16.
“As long as he continues to put the work in, I’m going to do my part to help him reach his goals and let him know that I’m always in his corner,” Lang said.