Mount Holly Family Business Makes Latin-Style Eggnog From 40-Year-Old Recipe

Carolina Eggnog Company in Mount Holly whips up eggnog using a 40-year-old family recipe passed down from Panama. Co-owners Eduardo Andrade and Genesis Carver run things with their mother, Kathy Trull, who arrived from Panama over twenty years back.

The business will sell its goods at the Southern Christmas Show in Charlotte, kicking off Nov. 13. Work has ramped up at their spot as the holiday season approaches.

Andrade and Carver walked through how they make their eggnog at the production site. Trull keeps the recipe locked in her head — she's the main driver behind everything they do.

"It brings smiles," Andrade said, per Queen City News. "Because all I can remember is me, my sister, my mom, my dad, cooking eggnog in our small kitchen at home."

They spotted a hole in the market. Latin American eggnog? It's not like what you find in most U.S. stores.

"I tell all my customers, it's not your grandma's eggnog," Andrade said, according to Queen City News. "The reason that is, is because Latin American eggnog is a lot sweeter."

Trull came to America with her two kids and almost nothing in her pockets. This business shows what years of grinding can build since she got here.

"It's a blessing and a dream that my mother always wanted," Andrade said, according to Queen City News. "She came to America with every little with me and my sister, and for her to be able to come here with absolutely nothing and twenty-some-odd years later have a business, it's a blessing."

Their production space used to be a one-car garage attached to the house. They turned it into a place where they cook and bottle everything.

Trull wouldn't go on camera when Queen City News stopped by. Her kids tried hard to get her in front of the lens.

"Ha-ha, my mom is very camera shy," said Andrade, according to Queen City News. "Me and my sister tried to beg her to be on camera."

Carver wants to grow this thing for her mom. Running the business lets Trull reach a goal she's held since landing in the country.

"Let's see how big we can make this, you know," Carver said, according to Queen City News. "I want my mother to be able to say that she accomplished one of her dreams."

The eggnog takes them back to holidays in Panama. Now they make it right here in Mount Holly.