LEWISTON — Gabriel Jacques’ original idea was for a smoothie bar. Then a smoothie stand.

Then, his mentor intervened: How about a smoothie bicycle?

And he was off.

Jacques, 17, won the Young Entrepreneurs Academy competition through the Lewiston Regional Technical Center last month with his plan to open a bicycle-powered fruit smoothie business.

On Friday, he pitches it in New York at regionals.

“This is a product, I feel it sells itself and all I have to do is give it a little push,” Jacques said. “It’s more than just a smoothie; it’s an unforgettable experience.”

An experience because at his business, Les Ananas, customers are invited to pedal their own smoothies. It’s part of the draw, he said. 

“It can take anywhere from 30 seconds if you’re really feeling it to three minutes if you’re taking it easy,” Jacques said.

The Young Entrepreneurs Academy, part of a national program, is in its third year locally, a partnership between LRTC, which teaches classes twice a week, and the Androscoggin County Chamber of Commerce, which provides mentors and expertise.

All of the lessons culminated in April, with nine students pitching to a local investor panel made up of businesses that had supported the program, including Northeast Charter and Tour and Procter and Gamble.

Jacques was after $498.25 to launch Les Ananas and hit the local festival circuit this summer. He made his case with 16 slides. He’d figured out how much to charge ($7.99 for a 14 oz. organic fruit smoothie with almond milk), the per-cup profit ($6.04) and costs such as temporary vendor licenses and taxes. 

He’d figured out short-term goals: Create a website, sell 120 smoothies by August.

And a few long-term: Consider expanding to Old Orchard Beach, snag a celebrity endorsement.

“I thought, ‘Bicycles, Dempsey Challenge,'” Jacques said. “Maybe if (Patrick Dempsey) stopped by and tried it out, that wouldn’t hurt …”

He impressed the local panel so much that they over-funded him, awarding $750 and a $500 Sam’s Club gift certificate. They encouraged Jacques to put a second bike in motion to keep up with what they anticipate will be demand. 

“Two things make Gabe stand out, I think,” chamber President Chip Morrison said. “One is he’s a really good presenter and that always works, and secondly, it’s kind of a unique idea.”

He’ll make that same pitch again Friday at the University of Rochester, competing with Young Entrepreneurs Academy winners from 10 other states.

Once he’s back home, LRTC carpentry and welding students will help Jacques outfit his red mountain bike with a sturdy stand to hold the back tire up and in place (so people can pedal as if they were on a stationary bike) and with a platform contraption for the blender that sits over the back tire.

The spinning tire churns two wheels, which churn a few dowels, which churn the blender blade and churn out, at least to start, mango/strawberry/banana smoothies.

He experimented a lot with the recipe. 

“It was really overcoming, that banana — it’s powerful,” Jacques said. But, bananas are a good smoothie thickener. “Adding mango is sort of a moderate risk, so I really had to bring that flavor”

Jacques named his company Les Ananas, the pineapples, in a nod to his first language, French. His parents, Alain and Jacynthe, are from Quebec. He already has a job, working at St. Mary’s Regional Medical Center in the culinary department, delivering food and doing dishes. Selling smoothies will be his second job. Jacques said he’s given no thought to how he wants to spend his extra earnings.

He hopes to debut Les Ananas at the Liberty Festival, the local Fourth of July celebration.

Lewiston Superintendent Bill Webster, Jacques’ mentor, said the bike smoothie idea was something he’d seen while traveling and was closer to the $500 ballpark pitch the investor panel was after than a smoothie stand. 

They met every week or two and did things together, such as going to city hall to hear about health codes Jacques would have to follow.

“He applies himself very well and would seem to have the very attributes that an entrepreneur needs to be successful,” Webster said. “I have no idea about the competition he’s facing. I think whether he wins or not, he’ll represent both Lewiston and the state of Maine well.” 

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Seven other student businesses in the Young Entrepreneurs Academy also received at least partial funding this past month to kick-start their new ideas:

* Corey Harvey, 2 Fast 2 Fit.

* Brendan Croteau, Brotein.

* Mohammed Khalid, Global Bites.

* Avara Hebert, River Cities Flea Market.

* Abdilahi Bade & Timothy Dube, Triple I: Imagination, Innovation, & Invention. 

* Jake Iacono, Wild Rum Clothing and Apparel.

* Sare Howes, Camp M.O.R.E.