SHARELLE KLAUS, founder & CEO, DRY Soda: ‘I saw a unique opportunity and I took it’
Back in 2005, when Sharelle Klaus first came up with the DRY Soda concept, there was a clear gap in the market for a carbonated beverage that was less sweet and far more interesting from a flavor perspective, she says.
"I wanted a carbonated soft drink that was really nicely flavored, not sugar-flavored, something a bit more sophisticated, and there just wasn't anything out there. I saw a unique opportunity and I took it."
DRY Soda contains four ingredients: Purified carbonated water; cane sugar; natural flavor extracted from fruits, flowers, or herbs; and phosphoric or malic acid.
Each 12oz. glass bottle or can contains 45-70 calories and is sweetened with 11-19g of cane sugar (between a quarter and half of the sugar in leading soda brands).
The products - packaged in glass bottles and available in flavors from lavender to cucumber - were popular from the outset, but Klaus’ big breakthrough came last summer when she put her sodas into slim aluminum cans, and sales exploded.
“We’re nationwide with Kroger, we're going nationwide with Safeway, and we're in several Whole Foods regions,” says Klaus. “We had triple digit growth last in 2013 vs 2012 and I’m forecasting that again this year. There really isn’t anything else like it on the market.”
Click HERE to read our interview with Klaus.
