Success Story
Region/Nation | London |
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Sector | Hospitality, Accommodation and Food Service Activities |
Programme | Start Up Loans |
Founded by Duncan O’Brien, Dalston Cola was established in response to a request from an organisation to make a cola that was not Coca Cola. With most of the market saturated by the big two players or cheap imitations, Duncan noticed a serious gap in the market and created Dalston Cola to fill it. Duncan had previously worked in the hospitality industry, including in the Caribbean and with the Orient Express Company, before moving on to the food and drink industry.
A £15,000 Start Up Loan allowed Duncan to bring on an employee and purchase machinery, and he hasn’t looked back since. In 2015 alone Dalston has had 240,000 sales and are looking to increase this tenfold through a change in distribution which will see them work with specialist distributors.
With many of their ingredients brought at the new Spitalfields market, including spices from across the world, Dalston drinks are currently available in bars and restaurants across London.
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