LDC Top 50 2023

“People thought we were mad.” Alex Wright, who founded DASH Water with Jack Scott in 2017, has proven his detractors wrong: “This year we will sell 26 million cans,” he says. The pair have created a seltzer – sparkling water – infused with natural flavours with no added sugar or sweetener.

“We are the first brand of our kind in Europe,” says Scott. They are on a mission to fight food waste – by using only “wonky” fruit in their drinks – and reduce people’s sugar intake. Scott says: “The larger we get, the greater the impact we will make. There’s no limit to our ambition.”

Q&A

What are your ambitions for the business?

Alex: We want to keep raising awareness about food waste – 30 per cent of all fruit and veg goes to waste – and we are helping to solve that problem. At the same time, we are giving consumers a great-tasting product that is good for them. Our ambition is to be the number one seltzer brand around the world.

What drives you?

Jack: I love being an entrepreneur. I love the risk-taking and creativity that goes with starting something from scratch. I have always wanted to run my own business, and the fact that we have this amazing mission and we’re having an impact in people’s lives, that makes me super proud. But, as time goes on, the drivers have evolved. Today, I also really enjoy creating a culture whereby people love coming to work.

Tell me about a challenge you overcame

Alex: We won a listing in Australia’s biggest supermarket chain, across 700 stores, right in the middle of Covid-19. Jack and I couldn’t fly over – we had to do it remotely. That was so stressful. When we found a local can supplier, Jack had to check all the packaging via Zoom, squinting at the screen between midnight and 5am to make sure the colours and fonts were right. That was extremely challenging but now Australia is a great market for us.