On the south side of Main Street in Newton, two food trucks sit side by side near some tables. On one end, there’s a taco truck named Tacos Anas, on the other end is Fizzed, a soda truck, started by Muss Ahmed and Jose Rojas.
“Tacos Anas is my parents,” Rojas said.
“These guys are awesome,” Ahmed said. “This is an established business that's been around for years.”
By contrast, Ahmed and Rojas’ latest soda venture is new, and began in April as they looked for a way to ride the wave of the latest drink trend, dirty sodas.
“It's your soda, it's your drink, topped off with a cold foam or a cream,” Ahmed said. “It changes the consistency of your drink almost between a soda and a shake. It's right there in the middle. It's real good.”
Ahmed said the idea of starting a business came from his wife a few years ago but they sat on it. They were finally able to get off the ground this year as dirty sodas began finding their way into McDonalds and movie theaters. He recruited Rojas to help him launch the business.
The dirty soda trend began in the 2010s in Utah and was popularised by MomTok and the reality show The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives.
@swigdrinks Can you handle extreme sour? 🤭👀 @Jessi Draper @Mayci Neeley @Mikayla Matthews #swigdrinks #dirtysoda #slomw #secretlivesofmormonwives #momtok ♬ original sound - Swig
Rojas said what sets Fizzed apart from franchise shops like Swig and Just a Sip is their willingness to experiment. They even sell their own recipe book.
“We're not boxed into a certain view. [Some] people might say, ‘dirty sodas should only be used with this and that.’ One of our most viral videos, it got 2 million views, 200 comments. Some were good. Some were saying, ‘Ah, leave the soda alone.’
@drinkfizzed Show our neighbors some love! ❤️🔥🤝 Tacos Ana’s an authentic Mexican food truck in Newton Kansas. They have strawberry, pineapple, grapefruit and mandarin @Jarritos. Pick one up with your food and we can mix you a drink you can’t get anywhere else! #drinkfizzed #dirtysoda #mexicanfood #drinks #supportlocal ♬ original sound - drinkfizzed
Another thing that sets them apart is that they have a food truck that helps them cater to the community. Ahmed said they are proud to have started in Newton, whether it’s in real life or through social media.
“That's the most important,” he said, “and for that we're forever grateful to the community because they're showing us the love that we're giving them back.”
