Monday, January 16, 2012

"spindrift: a fresh take on sodas"

According to an article in February's issue of Fast Company magazine, the average American drinks 50 gallons of soda annually.  A lot of that soda is made with up to 55% fructose (an ingredient linked to health troubles) and a host of artificial colors and flavors.

The article highlights a fresh new approach and company to the soda industry.  Enter Spindrift.  Made of soda water combined with fresh squeezed fruits with nothing artificial.

This is how they are different from every other soda maker:

  • They never use juice from concentrate.
  • They never use artificial sweeteners.
  • They never use preservatives.
  • They never use artificial colors.
  • Each bottle contains 50-100% juice portion.
  • Juice fibers are maintained which helps your body.
  • They use FDA-certified "fresh" nectar from four suppliers.
  • They refrigerate their product once made (it's required with fresh ingredients unlike the syrups that are shelf-stable at room temperature for months).
  • They contract delivery of the finished soda with distributors of fish, produce and cheese because traditional soda distributors only deliver with warm trucks.
  • *And one of my favorites.  They are members of 1% for the Planet, a collection of environmentally aware companies that donate 1% of their sales (not profits) to non-profit organizations that preserve and protect the environment.  In this case, Spindrift donates their money to the preservation of water resources nationally and globally.

I have yet to find any flavors in Michigan and the article said there were only 200 retailers at the time of print.  But it will be coming and I look forward to writing a follow-up to this post.

For now, here is a list of the flavors from their web site:

  1. Sparkling Grapefruit (1/4 of a fresh squeezed grapefruit and fresh squeezed lemon)
  2. Sparkling Blackberry (8 whole blackberries and fresh squeezed lemon juice)
  3. Sparkling Mango Orange (1/2 of a fresh squeezed orange and alfonso mango puree)
  4. Sparkling Lemonade (1 whole fresh squeezed lemon)
  5. Sparkling Half & Half (Half fresh squeezed lemon and half fresh brewed tea)
  6. Sparkling Cranberry Raspberry (Made with 16 raspberries; 9 Vermont cranberries and fresh squeezed lemon juice)

I presume you will find these in the refrigerated section of your grocery store -- if you're lucky enough to have it as an option in your neighborhood.  To find the location nearest you, click here.

Since I can only applaud the how and why this new product is made and not the taste, I will rely on those who have tried it.  Please comment on this post and let us know what you think of the taste, where you found it, how much it cost, etc.

The owner has a great story of being raised on only natural ingredients and lots of homemade food right down to the making of their own butter.  He is now raising his own kids in this tradition, but found a contradiction to this lifestyle with his frequent consumption (described as an addiction) of Diet Coke.

He sought to create a fresh, non-syrup, solution to traditional soda and ran into a few entertaining bumps.  Read the full story here.

P.S.  If your curious what spindrift means, dictionary.com defines it as "spray swept by a violent wind along the surface of the sea".

Here's to hoping the spray from a violent wind hits the shores of Lake Michigan soon!  Strong hints go out to Meijer, D&W and Spartan Stores along with West Michigan restaurants and hotels.

UPDATE:  01/18/2012

I received this message from owner Bill Creelman on the current locations to find this soda:


Hi!

Thank you for your store locator inquiry to Spindrift Soda. Unfortunately we are not sold in your area. Today Spindrift is only sold in New England, New York, and select parts of the eastern seaboard. We are starting to make our way around the rest of the east coast so stay tuned for further details!

We are always looking for other passionate partners so if you have any amazing cafes, bakeries, burrito shops, or a favorite sandwich spot, please forward them along and we will reach to introduce our product.

In the mean time, you can purchase product from our website or follow us onhttp://www.facebook.com/spindriftsoda or www.twitter.com/spindriftsoda for frequent new store openings.

Thanks again for your Spindrift inquiry!

Best wishes,
Bill

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