Birmingham Resident Teams Up to Energize Detroit With School Project

For many, school projects remain right where they started: in the classroom.

But for Birmingham resident Sawyer Altman, 16, and Franklin resident Matthew Tukel, 17 — both juniors at West Bloomfield's Frankel Jewish Academy — what began as a project for a business class evolved into 313Energy, a Detroit-centric energy drink currently for sale at several Birmingham businesses.

According to both Altman and Tukel, the pair originally thought to sell bottled water named Detroit Water, referring to the area's clean tap water. However, they soon realized that wasn't enough.

"Detroit doesn't need water," Altman said. "It needs energy."

And so in homage to the city they love, the pair launched 313Energy, a $2.99 energy drink that's lighter and less sugary than Red Bull, but that "definitely works."

"We wanted to get people thinking about Detroit," Altman said. "We want to be a symbol for change."

313Energy has an altruistic mission as well. Ten cents from every can manufactured is donated to the Detroit Public Schools Foundation.

"As students, we felt it's really important to give back to students," Tukel said. "We were able to have this business class, so we want to give back."

A project that's more than a job

Since beginning the 313Energy project last fall, Altman and Tukel said they've had to eat, drink and breathe their new business, whether it's developing the marketing strategy, finding suppliers and getting the product in stores.

But for these aspiring entrepreneurs, they wouldn't have it any other way.

"It's a lot of work but we don't mind putting it in," Altman said.

Tukel agreed. "It's not easy to measure (how long we've worked on 313Energy) in hours. It's pretty much rooted in my schedule."

The pair split the work largely along lines of their strengths. In , Tukel said Sawyer is a talented graphic designer and is responsible for the can design and the website.

Meanwhile, Tukel focuses on the communications aspect of the business. 

"It is my job to find every individual who may be an asset to our company, like the manufactuer, retailers and charities," Tukel said. "Despite this, we are almost always running ideas by one another to ensure every aspect of 313Energy is to its maximum potential."

That business plan is working, too. 313Energy first appeared at Birmingham's Pogo, a skateboard and sneaker shop, and within five days, was completely sold out.

Looking forward, Altman and Tukel said they plan on taking 313Energy as far as it can go, even after school ends this spring.

"I don't know what will happen, but we're going to try and stick with this as long as it lasts," Tukel said.

313Energy is currently sold at Birmingham's , , and , as well as Franklin's Market Basket and Warren Prescriptions. To learn more about 313Energy, visit the pair's website, Facebook or Twitter page.

For more on Altman, Tukel and 313Energy, check out on West Bloomfield Patch.