Dalston's Soda Company

What Dalston's Soda Company does

Dalston's Soda Company is a UK-based independent soft-drinks producer that makes premium real-fruit carbonated sodas in seven core flavours — Rhubarb, Cherry, Peach, Elderflower, Ginger Beer, Lemon and Pineapple — alongside variety and mixed-pack formats and branded merchandise. The company positions around a chef-crafted, no-artificial-additives formulation and operates from a headquarters in Dalston, East London, drawing on a brand origin tied to a local East London nightclub and achieving B Corp certification.

The business operates a wholesale-and-retail CPG model, selling single cans at retail price points of approximately £0.94-£1.34 per can and variety/mixed packs from £21.90, distributed through more than 9,000 UK points of distribution. Named retail partners include Waitrose, ASDA, Ocado, Whole Foods Market and Co-op, complemented by on-premise placement in pubs, restaurants and cafes. The product range is packaged primarily in aluminium cans following a 2020 transition from glass, supporting both unit economics and a recyclability narrative.

The company is private, employs 11-50 staff and has historically been bootstrapped. In January 2026 it closed its first external funding round, a £850,000 seed investment led by Sorven Capital Ltd, earmarked for team expansion and growth of retail partnerships. A 2026 voluntary recall of its Pineapple flavour soda, triggered by a packaging defect, represents a recent operational and reputational setback and a key execution risk to monitor.

Name

Dalston's Soda Company

Legal name

Dalston Soda Co Ltd.

Website

https://dalstons.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Dalston's Soda Company is a UK-based, B Corp-certified producer of premium real-fruit carbonated sodas in seven flavours, distributed through more than 9,000 UK grocery and on-premise outlets including Waitrose, ASDA, Ocado, Whole Foods Market and Co-op.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Carbonated Soft Drinks

NAICS

Soft Drink Manufacturing (312111), Soft Drink and Ice Manufacturing (31211)

SIC

Bottled & Canned Soft Drinks & Carbonated Waters (2086)

akta.pro primary industry

Non-Carbonated Soft Drinks (Juice Drinks, Lemonades, Fruit Drinks) (CRADAHAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Still Soft Drinks & Flavored Waters (Non-Carbonated) (AFAFABAB)

Keywords

• Real fruit soda
• Carbonated soft drinks
• Natural flavored beverages
• Clean label drinks
• Premium mixer drinks

Headquarters

HQ city

Dalston

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Direct-to-consumer e-commerce: Online sales through dalstons.com website with one-time purchase and subscription options. Subscriptions offer 15% discount with free shipping on orders over £40 and automatic recurring deliveries.
2. Wholesale and retail distribution: Products sold through major UK retailers (Waitrose, ASDA, Ocado, Wholefoods, Co-op) and thousands of hospitality venues (pubs, restaurants, cafes). Revenue generated through bulk wholesale orders to retail and food service partners.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Dalston's Soda Company produces and sells a range of carbonated real-fruit sodas in 330ml aluminium cans. The portfolio includes Rhubarb, Cherry, Peach, Elderflower, Ginger Beer, Lemon, and Pineapple flavours, plus mixed and variety multi-pack bundles. All products are formulated without added sugar, sweeteners, or artificial ingredients, contain under 50 calories per can, and are sold direct-to-consumer via the company's website and wholesale through UK supermarkets and hospitality venues.

Product overview

Dalston's Soda Company is a UK-based real fruit soda brand that crafts carbonated beverages using real fruit, sparkling water, and natural flavors. Founded by chef Duncan in the kitchen of Passing Clouds nightclub in Dalston, East London, the company produces a portfolio of eight distinct soda flavors (Rhubarb, Cherry, Peach, Elderflower, Ginger Beer, Lemon, and Pineapple) sold primarily in 330ml aluminum cans. All products are characterized by no added sugar, no artificial sweeteners, no artificial ingredients, and under 50 calories per serving. The company sells direct-to-consumer via its Shopify-powered e-commerce store and through wholesale partnerships with major UK retailers (Waitrose, ASDA, Ocado, Wholefoods) and foodservice partners (pubs, restaurants, cafes). The core product portfolio includes single-flavor 24-can cases, variety/mixed packs in 12/24/48 can configurations, and a subscription service offering 15% discounts. The company also sells branded merchandise including organic cotton tote bags. Distribution spans over 9,000 retail and foodservice locations across the UK.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Rhubarb Soda Real sparkling rhubarb soda containing 4% rhubarb juice, no added sugar, no sweeteners, and no artificial ingredients, under 50 calories per 330ml can. Sold in 12, 24, and 48-can cases.
• Cherry Soda Real sparkling cherry soda made with 14% juice from concentrate, no added sugar, no sweeteners, and no artificial ingredients, under 50 calories per 330ml can.
• Peach Soda Real sparkling peach soda made with 20% Italian peach juice from concentrate, no added sugar, no sweeteners, and no artificial ingredients, under 50 calories per 330ml can.
• Elderflower Soda Real sparkling elderflower soda made with British wild elderflower from Ross-on-Wye, sweetened with apple juice, no added sugar, no sweeteners, and no artificial ingredients, under 50 calories per 330ml can.
• Ginger Beer Fiery sparkling ginger beer with zesty lime, made with real pressed ginger, no added sugar, no sweeteners, and no artificial ingredients, under 50 calories per 330ml can.
• Lemon Soda Real sparkling Sicilian lemon soda made with 5% juice from concentrate plus 1.5% NFC, no added sugar, no sweeteners, and no artificial ingredients, under 50 calories per 330ml can.
• Pineapple Soda Real sparkling pineapple soda made with 16% pineapple juice from concentrate, no added sugar, no sweeteners, and no artificial ingredients, under 50 calories per 330ml can.
• Variety Pack Bestselling mixed pack featuring a selection of Dalston's real-fruit soda flavours (Rhubarb, Cherry, Peach, Elderflower, Lemon, Ginger Beer). Available in 12, 24, or 48-can packs, available on a monthly subscription.
• Mixed Pack Mixed party pack featuring every Dalston's real-fruit flavour including Rhubarb, Elderflower, Peach, Cherry, Pineapple, Lemon, and Ginger Beer. Sold as a 24-pack.
• Organic Mesh Tote Bag Lightweight organic mesh tote bag made from 100% organic cotton with 61cm straps, holding up to 6kg (approximately 12 cans). Sold without plastic packaging as branded merchandise.
• Organic Canvas Tote Bag Heavy-duty organic canvas tote bag made from 100% organic cotton with an internal pocket, one-sided print, and no plastic packaging. Designed for market runs and weekly shopping.

Quantifiable outcome

• Someone drinks a can of Dalston's every 5 seconds
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers16 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Fever-Tree Drinks: UK-listed premium mixer brand built on a chef/bar-tender craft narrative and distributed through UK supermarkets and on-trade; highly comparable to Dalston's on premium positioning, supermarket+pub distribution, and brand-led premium pricing in the carbonated drinks category.
• Cawston Press: UK pressed sparkling fruit drinks sold in cans to supermarkets (Tesco, Sainsbury's, Waitrose) and foodservice; comparable on real-fruit sparkling positioning, UK supermarket listing strategy, and health-led adult soft drinks target consumer.
• Luscombe Drinks: Devon-based premium organic soft drinks brand with Sicilian lemonades, elderflower and ginger beers; similar farm-sourced provenance, premium grocery and farm-shop channel presence, and B-Corp-aligned sustainability credentials.
• Fentimans: Premium traditional UK soft drinks brand with ginger beer and fruit-flavoured sparkling mixers in 200ml/750ml bottles; closest like-for-like competitor on craft/premium positioning, botanically-led flavours, and UK supermarket+on-trade footprint.
• Belvoir Farm: UK maker of premium cordials and sparkling pressés distributed through UK supermarkets and pubs; overlapping on real-fruit positioning, B2B hospitality channel, and middle-to-premium price tier in still and sparkling soft drinks.
• Nix & Kix: UK-based independent better-for-you sparkling soft drinks brand selling low/no-sugar flavoured sparkling drinks to health-conscious consumers through UK grocers and DTC — directly overlaps Dalston's on persona, format (cans), and channel mix.

Broad incumbents

• AG Barr: UK-listed soft drinks group behind Irn-Bru, Rubicon and Funkin; directly competes in the flavoured carbonated soft drinks category with national UK distribution, well-funded marketing, and established supermarket relationships.
• The Coca-Cola Company: Global CSD giant whose UK portfolio (Coca-Cola, Fanta, Sprite, Schweppes via CCEP) defines the category; the implicit benchmark Dalston's must beat on shelf, in vending, and in on-trade for health-conscious adult consumers.
• Britvic: One of the two dominant UK soft drinks manufacturers (PepsiCo licensee plus own brands like J2O, Robinsons); competes with Dalston's on the same supermarket shelves and on-trade taps but at much greater scale, breadth and slotting power.

Emerging players

• Square Root London: London-based craft soda maker producing small-batch fruit-flavoured sparkling soft drinks; comparable on craft/artisan narrative, real-fruit ingredient focus, and independent UK challenger positioning, though at smaller scale than Dalston's.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat2 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/drinkdalstons
• Facebookfacebook.com/dalstons
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/dalstons
• Instagraminstagram.com/drinkdalstons
• TikToktiktok.com/@drinkdalstons

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors2 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Dalston's Soda Company