In the sun-soaked realm of Southern California, the tale of She Beverage Co. unfolds as a drama steeped in deception and opulence—a modern-day Gatsby eschewing the written script of the law. Marketed with the allure of empowering women, this seemingly noble enterprise was flouted by its own creators who have now been ensnared in the tight grip of justice.
Lupe L. Rose, Sonja F. Shelby, and Katherine Dirden—three Californians who orchestrated the intricate dance of falsehoods—have seen the curtain fall on their charade. A legal decree from the U.S. District Court demands the restoration of $14 million within a month’s passing, a sum representing the trust and funds of over two-thousand investors. Investors who believed in the vision peddled by She Beverage, a company that positioned itself as a beacon for women in the competitive landscape of beverage production.
Beneath the veneer of corporate success, a grim reality was carefully concealed. The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, guardians of fiscal fairness, unveiled the sordid truth in a damning complaint. Between the years of 2017 and 2019, She Beverage enticed investors with false claims, brazenly asserting that a third of the funding would be dedicated to stocking the elixirs of their creation. Yet, a mere 2% fulfilled this pledge.
Rose and her co-founders, it seems, had developed a palate for indulgence, far from the sobering halls of business acumen. A staggering $1.2 million was squandered in the den of the casino, while eight cars and trucks became the carriages for their personal escapades. Splurging did not end there—luxury bags from the high altars of Gucci and Louis Vuitton were bought, and a lavish residence leased for $100,000.
They spun tales of having infused the business with millions from their own coffers, a claim as hollow as the partially-built brewery they boasted about. Their bottled water, they asserted, was exclusive and embraced by the FDA, yet neither was true.
But perhaps most astonishing was their audacity to overstate interest from unnamed suitors, allegedly queuing with offers in the hundreds of millions, to acquire She Beverage—a deceptive dream that never was.
Amidst this unfolding saga, Lupe Rose, in a singular act of defiance, took to the digital theater of YouTube to declare her version of the narrative. She cast herself not as a villain in the eyes of the public, but as a martyr—a “champion for women’s progress”—victim to the alleged persecutions by the SEC. Rose postured as a movement incarnate, “an inspiration,” she claimed, “a fearless leader” breaking boundaries for women everywhere. Her dramatic riposte—an articulation of battle against the specters of “racism, discrimination, and a targeted campaign” by the very institution that sought to hold her accountable.
But with the gavel’s fall and the truth laid bare, it seems the court of public opinion may not be so easily swayed by the cinematic portrayal spun by Rose and her compatriots. For a champion’s true measure is found not in the grandeur of words, but in the integrity of actions—a moral of this story that may resonate long after the final act.
