For Valerie Vigil, The Fizz Lab LLC is about more than colorful drinks and creative combinations. It is about giving people a place to gather, laugh and feel welcome.

Vigil, who works full time in local government and serves as an elected official, said the idea for the mobile drink business grew out of her experience with Herbalife shops while living in Albuquerque. She enjoyed the atmosphere, grabbing a tea or shake, talking with people and having a place to discuss goals and life.

“I always wanted a place like that,” Vigil said.

After years of working in a job where she often felt people were difficult to please, Vigil decided she needed a project where she could direct her energy toward making a positive impact.

“I decided I needed to have my own project to funnel that energy into, to make a strong impact and have fun,” she said.

Vigil said giving back has always been important to her. She describes giving as her “love language” and said she wanted to create a business that reflected her optimistic outlook and gave people something to look forward to.
Her vision initially was a brick-and-mortar shop. Inspired in part by a woman she followed on TikTok who operated a similar business, Vigil began researching how she could open her own location. She started with a limited budget, setting aside about $300 and searching thrift and decoration stores for items she could use.

But opening a traditional storefront in Questa presented challenges. Vigil eventually realized a mobile trailer would give her more flexibility and allow her to take the business to different locations throughout the community.

She bought a bare trailer and, with the help of her husband, Armando Vigil, turned it into a customized mobile drink shop.

“It’s been a labor of love,” Vigil said.

The trailer was designed with the business’ future in mind, including the ability to accommodate the goals Vigil has for The Fizz Lab as it grows.

The name also has a family connection.

When Vigil’s son, Emmanuel, had his first soda, she called it a “fizzie.” That family nickname eventually became part of the business name, with “Lab” reflecting the experimentation involved in creating new drinks.
The Fizz Lab currently offers an extensive menu with eight categories.

Its Fizzy Sips, or “dirty sodas,” include 25 drinks. The menu also features 12 Lotus energy drinks, six matcha drinks, six coffee drinks, nine lemonades, five kids’ drinks and seven sugar-free options.

Drinks range in price from $6 to $10 and can be customized with additions such as boba and whipped cream.
Vigil said she intentionally designed the menu to complement rather than compete with her mother-in-law Cynthia’s business, Rael’s Coffee. Having worked at the coffee shop, Vigil said she saw an opportunity to offer drinks that were not already widely available in the community.

The Fizz Lab operates as a mobile business, setting up at locations around town, including near the grocery store and coffee shop. The business also has participated in events, with Vigil saying it has had an event every weekend since opening.

Seasonal and monthly specials are another part of the business.

For August, The Fizz Lab introduced a back-to-school menu and offered educators 10% off. Vigil said future monthly specials will rotate with the seasons and holidays, including fall drinks, Halloween offerings and winter-themed drinks.

The business has also incorporated Vigil’s daughter, Sofia, into the operation. Vigil said she wants Sofia to help create drinks, learn how to operate the cash register and develop other skills through the family business.
For Vigil, that family involvement is part of what makes The Fizz Lab meaningful.

She also hopes the mobile shop can provide a place where people can set aside some of the division and stress that can be found in everyday life.

“There is a lot of division,” Vigil said. “I just want a place for people to go and be happy, laugh.”
So far, Vigil said the community response has exceeded her expectations.

“We’ve been blessed to be exceeding our goals every single time we’ve been out and open,” she said.
Customers have complimented the drinks and told Vigil they are happy with what The Fizz Lab offers. The business has also been able to support the community through efforts such as selling gift cards for back-to-school needs.

Vigil said people have come out in force to support the business, and she has received positive feedback from both local customers and people visiting from outside the area.

For Vigil, that support reinforces why she decided to take the leap into business ownership in the first place.
She wanted to create something of her own, but she also wanted to create something for the community, a place that could bring people together one drink at a time.

“It’s about talking, meeting new people, incorporating my family into it and creating a place for people to go and be happy,” Vigil said.