5 Questions: 313Energy's Matthew Tukel and Sawyer Altman

Matthew Tukel doesn't simply want to keep the city of Detroit from falling further behind economically than it already has — he wants to help revive it to its former glory. The 17-year-old from Franklin started an energy drink company with his classmate, Sawyer Altman, 16, of Birmingham, and in mere months, they've designed and distributed their product to three area retailers.

Tukel answers questions through email this week about the the start-up, called 313Energy (313energy.com).

1. What have you and your business partners done?

My partner Sawyer and I have established an energy drink that focuses on the revival of Detroit. We began this journey roughly six months ago when we had an idea of bottling Detroit water. 

It took months of daily phone calls and emails until we found a manufacturer who would help turn our concept to a reality. We tasted several different flavor combinations and agreed on a flavor we felt would best suit our beverage. With that, our first batch of 313Energy was created. The drink gained popularity much faster than we anticipated, and we knew it was time to start mass-producing. 313Energy is now available at , , and in Birmingham, and we are awaiting more supply to get it to additional retailers. 

2. What are your goals for your business?

Sawyer and I have some pretty simple goals for 313Energy. As high school students, one might think we created an energy drink just to make a couple dollars. While the money would be nice, our drink represents more than just a beverage.

It was important to us to include a way to give to the city to help re-establish its revered name, so we donate 10 cents from every can manufactured to programs benefitting the city and Detroit education. Though we may not be raising millions of dollars, we are raising awareness. Just think of 313Energy as awareness in an unconventional way. We want to get Detroiters thinking.

3. Who does what in your business?

What makes Sawyer and I such great business partners, is the dynamic skill set we hold. We focus our expertise on completely opposite ends of the business spectrum, and it really works. Sawyer is an extremely talented graphic designer and is responsible for the can design and the website. Every part of our design was built from scratch, including all parts of the website.

I focus more 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 manufacturer, retailers, and charities. Despite this, we are almost always running ideas by one another to ensure every aspect of 313Energy is to its maximum potential. 

4. How can this help people?

The label of each can prominently states: 10 cents of this purchase went to the city of Detroit. But what does that really mean? When it comes to charity, so far 313Energy has focused primarily on The Detroit Public School Foundation (detroitpsfoundation.org). The foundation makes it their mission to ensure the future leaders of Detroit have access to a quality education through value-added programs and activities. Through a combination of raising funds and resources the Detroit Public School Foundation supports educational programs and activities that help young students build learning skills with hands-on arts and science activities, strengthen student curriculum in science, technology, engineering and math and support the talents of students with fine arts.

5. How can people help you?

While 313Energy is a private business, in the larger picture, we are two players on same team with all other Detroiters who are fighting to breathe life back into the city. There is a reason why we have been know as "the city of doers" — let's step up to that claim. 

It doesn't have to be a start-up — do you know a business you would like to nominate for 5 Questions? Email your recommendations to tim.rath@patch.com.