Troy Douglas shared the next big moves for sugar-free beverage company Nexba at LIVE Future Unpacked.
The company's mission has always been to disrupt the beverage market with a combo of innovative packaging and sugar-free drinks, and now Nexba is making an impact in the supermarket segment.
According to Douglas, in addition to channels like 7-eleven and Domino's, Nexba has secured aisle space in both Coles and now Woolworths.
The company is also planning a global expansion will include collaboration with multinationals in overseas markets in the UK and US and Mainland China, where the team is currently having conversations.
Nexba has already partnered with several global flavour houses and works closely with Diageo, which contract fills its glass packaging. The next stage of global growth for the 'Naturally Sugar Free' company will see further changes to packaging.
"Anybody can create a product, but to expand into international markets you have to be more than a product - you need to be a brand," Douglas said.
For Nexba, that means focusing on its clean, green credentials, as well its 'full-sugar' taste.
"There are a lot of no-sugar products, but none have been able to match the taste of ours," he said.
Douglas and co-founder Drew Bilbe started with superfood-based sparkling ice teas, and last year collaborated with Coles to launch ‘soft drink’ flavours of Cola, Lemon and Orange – a move which saw the company’s sales grow exponentially in 2016-17.
"It took six years to crack the market, then we needed to scale it by raising funding," Douglas said.
One of the ways they grew in scale was to tap the petrol and convenience space, and 7-eleven was willing to give Nexba a go.
"We got the backing of buyer Dean Spencer [who also backed Daniel Flynn's Thankyou water] and we went from there," he said.
