Melbourne-based start-up, Quest Beverages, has launched a new Sparkling Mineral Water range under the brand Calm & Stormy after Covid lockdowns.
Affected by the impact of Covid-19, founder Troy McKinna said the pandemic brought everything to a halt and the company had difficulties in production when it came to social distancing.
“When Covid hit our business ground to a halt,” said McKinna.
“We had spent years building up our business with ranging at events, cafes, leisure and travel accounts that were focused on reducing their plastic footprint… [Covid] was just devastating for us and all of our partners that had to shut down.”
Made from Australian fruit juice and sparkling mineral water, the new range packaging features aluminium cans and contains 70 per cent of recycled content. According to Quest Beverages, aluminum can be recycled indefinitely into new cans as the material does not degrade. The company also says that this material is on the rise in Australia thanks to its benefits for the environment and product quality.
“In addition to the environmental benefits of cans, they chill quickly, and they block out oxygen and light which keeps drinks fresher for longer.” said co-founder Murray Raeburn.
After running trials with its Still Mineral Water can, the company will soon hit shelves in 7-Eleven stores across Australia.
“We’ve worked hard to reinvent the business and to be honest, we’re now in a much stronger position than pre-Covid,” Raeburn added.
“Since Covid has locked down most of Australia we have pivoted into selling direct to households as they look for something more interesting to drink at home. A significant part of our business is now online sales, which is something we didn’t have prior to the pandemic.”
