Natural soda syrup company, Soda Press Co, has its sights set on international expansion this year, naming China as one of its key target markets.
Soda Press Co launched in October 2014 with four flavours including Old Fashioned Pink Lemonade, Ginger Ale, Berry and Lime, and Liquorice and Lemongrass. The syrups are all made from natural and organic ingredients and are currently stocked in Australia and New Zealand.
Cameron Romeril, founder of Soda Press Co, told Inside FMCG the company aims to be selling internationally by the end of 2015, with China earmarked for the next 12 months.
“Our goal is to tap into international markets later this year, and for us that’s China,” Romeril said.
Romeril says Soda Press Co plans to introduce a new flavour every six to eight months and will keep all existing flavours in the range, adding that the company is looking to go back to basics when it comes to taste.
“For us it’s about bringing a lot of the traditional favours back that have been bastardised by the big brands, like lemonade,” Romeril said.
“If you look at how lemonade used to be it’s completely different to what people are conditioned to think lemonade taste like and that’s s because of the way the big players in the market have manipulated the taste.
“We have worked really hard to build a product that first and foremost tastes amazing and secondly delivers on the health attributes that people are looking for such as reduced sugar.”
Romeril says the introduction of more small to medium artisan brands such as Soda Press Co has lead to a category shift and consumers are responding.
“We’re seeing a reduction in category size from the likes of the big Coca-Cola and Schweppes of this world, but the catergory is expanding in the terms of the small players. At the same time it’s still quite competitive but that’s a good thing because we are starting to see a rebirth of consumers reinvigorated by the choice of brands that are on the market and the choice of flavours that are available.
“Hopefully we’ll see more cafes, food retailers, restaurants, starting to offer some of these more artisan products that we take lot of pride and care in producing.”
