A Newcastle craft soda business hopes it has a Golden Ticket to success after a deal to develop a special drink as part of Fenwick’s Christmas theme.
The Newcastle department store’s famous Christmas window was unveiled at a grand ceremony earlier this month to reveal the story of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.
Fenwick is also selling lots of other Willy Wonka themed treats to tie in with its festive window, including biscuits, mugs, pictures – and soft drink called Chocolate River Soda, designed to emulate the chocolate river that Augustus Gloop fell into.
The drink has been concocted for Fenwick by Newcastle’s 40 Kola, a new and growing craft soda firm which was launched last year by lifelong friends Kieran Dougan and Dan Young.
Newcastle University graduate Mr Dougan and Mr Young, both from County Durham and 27, quit their jobs to go into business together in the summer of 2018, after coming up with the recipe in a jesmond Kitchen for 40 Kola, an all-natural caffeine-infused version of a classic cola, named after the 40mg of caffeine in each bottle.
A year on, the pair has been given a boost by listings on Amazon as well as in the likes of By The River Brew Co, Harissa Kitchen, Arch 2 and Flat Caps Coffee.
It has also toasted the new deal with Fenwick for the bespoke Christmas soft drink and the rollout of new flavours 40 Lemon + Lime and 40 Kola CUT.
Lemon+Lime is made with real lemon juice, while 40 Kola CUT is the stripped-back version with one third of the sugar and caffeine of 40 Kola.
Most Read
The Chocolate River Soda, meanwhile promises “something extra special from our factory of fizz”, made with all natural ingredients.
North East retail news
Mr Dougan, who graduated with a degree in chemical engineering at Newcastle University, said: “For our first opportunity to develop a bespoke product we couldn’t have asked for a lot more than the chance to develop a soft drink to accompany Fenwick’s renowned Christmas campaign with stockists throughout the 海角视频.
“It was definitely the case of enthusiastically agreeing to the project and then figuring out how we would do it! A chocolate soda was one of the more challenging flavours we could have been asked to develop so it’s great to hear how well it has been received.”
Mr Young, who manages the marketing side of the business, said: “Our brand is about making a positive impact on people’s lives and to give something back to people. Aside from this, all our products are totally natural, with no artificial colours or preservatives.”
The enterprising duo met in primary school and kept in contact during their university studies, harnessing the potential of craft soda following the boom of the craft beer market.
They have been given support and advice by Start Up, Newcastle University’s support for students and recent graduates looking to become self-employed and start new businesses.
Mr Dougan said: “We’ve been working with Start Up since we initially launched. Our adviser helped us develop a clear strategy for the business.
Don’t miss
“We’re also taking part in one of the enterprise modules, run by the Enterprise Team, Careers Service where we will be working with a team of students on new product development.”
The team was also awarded a Start Up grant to support product development and launch and joins a growing list of Newcastle University start-ups to stock in Fenwick, such as Lixir Tonic and Noveltea.
Claire Adamson, Start Up manager at Newcastle University Careers Service, said: “Kieran and Dan are such a talented partnership, they have achieved impressive traction with their initial product range and without doubt the deal with Fenwick will help them take their business to the next level.
"We wish them every success.”