Six Barrel Soda Co. was started in 2012 by Joseph Slater & Mike Stewart, and has disrupted the soda market with their innovative quality and unique flavours.
What is your company background, how did you start the business? Who are the owners?
We've been pals since the 90s, and we wanted to shake up a flat soft drink market with new flavours and a new level of quality. We supply creative cafes, bars, restaurants and the best grocery stores around New Zealand and Australia.
What is the current product range and variants and how do these products stand out in the market?
We have 2 ranges, the first is a range of 12 specialty soda syrups and the second is a range of premium bottled sodas. All of our products are handmade from real ingredients. This is what sets us aside from most others in the categories. Our syrups and sodas come in classic flavours such as Cola, Lemonade etc and modern original flavours like Cherry & Pomegranate, Salted Cucumber & Mint, Orange & Dandelion.
Has there been any recent company news?
We have a new Lemon Honey Ginger syrup out early June which we are excited about. We were looking to create a syrup that had a citrus and ginger hit without being overly sweet. To do this we use delicious raw New Zealand wildflower honey from J.Friend & Co, fresh squeezed lemons and Pacific organic ginger from Fiji to make a premium Lemon Honey Ginger syrup perfect for all year round drinking. It makes a soothing hot drink to ward off winter chills and a crisp, dry soda with a ginger kick for days when you need a little afternoon pick me up. We are also moving into new production premises in a few months which will enable us to keep making the syrups by hand but much more efficiently and at a larger scale.
What are the plans for the business moving forward, is there any expansion on the horizon?
We have a lot of room to grow in NZ and are doing more in Australia too. We're upgrading our production and expanding our range to meet customer demand.
Where are your products currently available to buy, and are you looking at or wanting to expand your availability? If so, where would you like to see the product situated?
A mix of on-premise, retail, liquor and convenience. We've recently joined the craft fridges at Z stations and are working on more retail availability through Foodstuffs and Progressive stores as well as more cafes, bars & restaurants.
