LIVERMORE FALLS — A home-schooled 16-year-old student is taking business education to a whole new level by running her very own drink truck.

Riley Windover’s mobile truck — Riley’s Quench Lemonade and Coffee Espresso bar — was recently set up at Food City Plaza in Livermore Falls

Windover first began thinking about starting her own coffee and lemonade business when she was 13 or 14 years old. Turning the idea into reality started with conversations at home.

“I took steps like proposing the idea to my dad and then just pushing it out there in the community to turn it into what it is now,” she said.

The Rumford teen said she has been home -schooled since seventh grade and currently follows a hybrid schedule that combines home schooling with local school programs. On ‘A’ days she attends two morning classes at her high school before returning home to complete three home-school classes. On ‘B’ days, she travels to Region 9 School of Applied Technology in Mexico for outdoor skills and leadership.

Her involvement with Region 9 has been a positive experience, Windover said, as have her high school classes.

Managing time has been one of the biggest challenges. Windover said balancing schoolwork, sports and daily responsibilities requires constant adjustment.

“I don’t really have a set system,” she said. “I just do my best.”

Despite the challenges, she said the rewards make it worthwhile.

“Seeing the smiles on people’s faces and just being able to talk to people who aren’t in my day-to-day life,” she said, is what she enjoys most.

Through running the business, Windover said she has learned important lessons about responsibility.

“I’ve learned how to manage money and time,” she said. “I’ve also learned how important it is to be responsible.”

Outside of school and business, Windover is a brown belt in karate and has been training since she was 9 years old. She said karate has taught her discipline, perseverance, integrity and other values that carry over into other areas of life.

Windover and her father set up the coffee and lemonade truck in locations where they are permitted. She said community response has generally been positive, though navigating local rules around food trucks has been difficult.

Windover’s favorite place to set up is downtown Winthrop, where, she said, “the civilians in my area responded with a welcoming attitude.”

She said she has operated in Skowhegan, Farmington, Livermore, Jay, Mexico and Dixfield.

She described her home community of Rumford, however, as having restrictive local policies.

She said Rumford requires a $260 annual license, a public hearing before the Select Board, and advertising in a local newspaper, and that each time the trailer needs to relocate on public property, the process must be repeated, often taking up to a month.

Looking ahead, Windover said she does not yet have a set plan for the future of the business but would like to see it reach a permanent location someday.

Windover emphasized that while the business may be small, the experience has been meaningful, both for her and for the people she meets along the way.

For other home-schooled students interested in starting a business, her advice is straightforward.

“Make sure you have a solid support system,” she said. “Whether it’s a family member or a friend or whatever it may be.”