For White Station Middle School student Augie and his younger sister, Coco, a student at Richland Elementary School, summer break has become an opportunity to put classroom skills into practice while building a family business of their own.

The siblings are helping operate Augie & Coco, a small business that creates and sells handcrafted Indian spice blends at the Memphis Farmers Market. What began as a summer project has quickly grown into a real-world learning experience that combines entrepreneurship, creativity, communication, and problem-solving.

The venture is a natural fit for Augie, who has participated in the Creative Learning in a Unique Environment (C.L.U.E.) program throughout his school career and is a member of both the National Junior Honor Society (NJHS) and Beta Club. This year, he was also recognized with White Station Middle School's Best Student for Creative Writing Award.

His younger sister, Coco, recently completed kindergarten and advanced to first grade at Richland Elementary. Known for her creativity, Coco enjoys science, art, inventing tools to make everyday tasks easier, and painting. She also brings plenty of humor and imagination to the family business.

The idea for Augie & Coco began shortly after the school year ended. "It was sort of a summer project for us," Augie said. "My dad didn't want me just sitting around in the summer, not doing anything, so we decided to come up with an idea for me to do something productive."

Today, the entire family plays a role in the business. Their father, Vibhor, develops spice blends inspired by flavors the family uses at home. Augie helps package products, interact with customers, and share the story behind the business. Coco assists with packaging and taste-testing, while their mother manages the website, social media, and customer newsletter.

Every Saturday, the family can be found at the Memphis Farmers Market, introducing customers to fresh spice blends and sharing a piece of their culture through food. "I think it's really important for people to understand different cultures," Augie said. "I love seeing other people try foods from different cultures. It helps everybody come together."

While sharing food and culture is an important part of the experience, the business has also become a classroom of its own. "This has taught me time management and communication skills, but it's also taught me some leadership," Augie said. "Working with my dad, my sister, and my mom to run the business has been a great experience."

Augie says many of the skills he uses at the farmers market connect directly to lessons learned at White Station Middle School. "Communication with my friends, my peers, and my classmates translates to working with my family and making the products," he said. "Creative thinking is really vital in this experience."

For Vibhor, a scientist by profession, the project is designed to give his children hands-on experience in entrepreneurship and problem-solving. "It's real-world experience," he said. "They're learning how businesses work, how to talk to customers, how to solve problems, and how to think creatively."

The siblings help collect customer feedback, contribute ideas for the company's newsletter, and participate in conversations about pricing, costs, and product development. Recently, the family began experimenting with a new product called a "veggie curry bomb," challenging the children to think about recipe development, packaging, customer feedback, and marketing.

Vibhor's scientific background also influences the process. The family develops recipes through testing, observation, and refinement. They carefully adjust ingredients based on customer feedback and experiment with new ideas to improve their products.

The children even have ownership stakes in the business, giving them an early introduction to responsibility, investment, and financial literacy. As the family looks toward the future, they hope to expand into additional markets and eventually partner with local retailers. But, regardless of how large the business becomes, the lessons learned along the way may be the most valuable outcome.

From communication and leadership to creativity, entrepreneurship, and scientific thinking, Augie and Coco are discovering that learning doesn't stop when the school year ends. This summer, they're taking the skills they've developed in Memphis-Shelby County Schools and applying them in the real world, one spice blend at a time.