When David Andrew begun pitching his Aussie-manufactured sugar-free of charge drinks a handful of years back, he had no idea he would be eyeing a $21 million turnover for the 2021 financial year.
“If I was to go back again to November 2016 when I was pitching to distributors with my hand-labelled bottles, I in all probability wouldn’t have considered it was doable. I would have dreamed of it but I probably wouldn’t have believed it,” the Naked Lifestyle and No Nasties Task founder and CEO informed information.com.au.
It didn’t consider extensive for the sugar-no cost trend to catch on soon after Bare Lifetime introduced its 1st line of sugar-cost-free gentle drinks in time for summertime at the end of that calendar year.
David released one of Australia’s to start with no-sugar tonic waters to the market place in 2017 and by 2018 the manufacturer took on an iconic Aussie favourite, Tremendous Doopers, with the launch of sugar-totally free icy poles.
In the previous 24 months, David’s company has sold extra than 30 million icy sticks to Aussies wanting for sugar-absolutely free, much healthier alternate options to give their young children.
The company, born after David gave up sugar himself but struggled to uncover a soft drink option, built a staggering $200,000 in the initial month by yourself and generated just about $1 million in sales in its initially quarter.
“I’m pinching myself. Never ever in my wildest dreams would I have believed this,” he mentioned.
Recession-Proof
The 37-12 months-previous from Melbourne would not have imagined his smaller small business would turn over its initial million-dollar-thirty day period in September 2020, amid a pandemic-pushed economic economic downturn that strike Victoria tricky.
“We’ve been pushing actually really hard for 5 several years and it has all landed this year,” David said.
The business totally blew their anticipations out the h2o, controlling to carry in much more than $3 million for the calendar year – more than projected, like the million turned in excess of in just a thirty day period.
“At a time when COVID hit, that’s when we were being seeking to scale up our workforce and generation,” he explained, adding he had ideas to get a new device from Europe which was halted thanks to the stall in global trade.
“It’s been a calendar year of challenges,” he said.
But that didn’t quit the group from continuing to innovate – which include launching a hand sanitiser this year.
“We were capable to expand our staff and consider on some actually capable people today,” he additional, pointing out that just one of them is an ex-CEO of a drinks company.
“Last calendar year at our Xmas bash there were being 4 of us and now there’s 8,” David discussed.
BRINGING IT TO THE MAINSTREAM
David and his staff are celebrating a huge deal with Woolworths this year, which involves a collaboration with Disney.
The No Nasties Job launched an special assortment of sugar-cost-free Icy Stix showcasing Disney favourites this kind of as Elsa and Olaf from Frozen and Marvel heroes like Iron Man.
“It is extraordinary to have the likes of Woolworths and Disney spend in the well being of Australian little ones,” David explained. “It will allow modern tiny corporations like ourselves to provide ground breaking wellness products and solutions to the mainstream.”
The Disney-branded icy poles, which are manufactured from normal sugar-totally free sweeteners, are obtainable in extra than 1000 supermarkets nationwide.
“I had normally hoped for a key retailer but I experienced no idea how to do it,” he explained.
“Nothing has gone how I envisioned it to. It’s been an incredible rollercoaster.”
On leading of the Woolies deal, it is also their very first calendar year in Coles.
“It’s really permitted a little organization to get into the mainstream,” he reported.
SCALING UP
The company is established up for a profitable 2021 with the launch of yet another new line – a assortment of sugar-absolutely free non-alcoholic beverages, such as virgin margaritas, virgin gin and tonic, yuzu sake and a Pimms-impressed English garden spritzer.
The variety will be unveiled this month in time for the put up-COVID summertime.
Though launching a new line on the back of a pandemic may well appear risky, it could possibly be a excellent go thinking of the non-alcoholic drinks current market is predicted to be worth additional than $A43 billion in just a couple of many years by 2025, according to a recent review.
The new line will be accessible in a range of outlets across the state, which includes Coles Nearby suppliers, chosen Woolworths retailers, Drakes, impartial merchants and online by means of Dan Murphy’s and Amazon.
David discovered there will also be a array of “better-for-you” sugar-free cereals, cookies and snack bars introduced early following calendar year.
INNOVATION AND RESILIENCE
David describes himself as “a bit of a mad scientist”, priding himself on innovation and imagining outside-the-box.
“We experienced a great deal of merchandise that did not perform,” he confessed. “We had to bounce back, remain on the route and stay on monitor.
“With the icy poles, we took a serious punt. We hadn’t figured out how to make it however,” he stated.
When they commenced producing the icy poles in 2019, David imported a device in Europe so the icy poles could be Australian-created, even though the team regularly improved the style of the more healthy take care of.
ON A MISSION
With an ethos to provide sugar-absolutely free alternatives for Australians with “no nasties”, the No Nasties Job is on a mission to clear away 500 tonnes of sugar from the meal plans of Australian households.
“We want to make a proper distinction to Aussies,” he claimed.
“With some little swap-outs, you can make a large difference devoid of compromising on flavor and cost and know little ones are going to appreciate,” he claimed.
David spelled out it’s taken a couple years to get Aussies to see the profit of earning the switch to sugar-absolutely free choices but pointed out that mothers and fathers are really wanting “better-for-you” things they can give their children.
“We’ve been pushing for 5 several years, it’s a ton of challenging function. It requires a when to translate to the norm for persons,” David explained.
He reported possessing a competitive value is “critical” to be in a position to streamline the enterprise and make it obtainable. “To alter the mainstream current market it arrives down to value, availability and the check of little ones,” he claimed.
“Nine out of 10 mother and father know they really should be lowering their young children sugar but most don’t. There’s a gap among these who know they need to be minimizing sugar and all those that basically are.”
The products contain a mix of all-natural sweeteners which include stevia and erythritol in its place of sugar, as properly as other pure ingredients, with no artificial colours or preservatives.