Sugar-free fruit drink for the health-conscious

Jan Strydom, operations manager at ONE54 South Africa, spoke to Marinda Louw-Coetzee about the launch of Al Fruit Water, a natural sparkling fruit water.

- Jan Strydom

Tell us more about your operation.

ONE54 South Africa is a proudly South African retail brand-building business based in Cape Town. Neither the raw material supplier nor ONE54 South Africa owns any farms. As a start-up, we run very lean and outsource most of our business functions.

We have an operations manager who runs the day-to-day operations of the business, and a regional sales manager in Gauteng. Outsourced functions for ONE54 South Africa include marketing, finance and professional services, sales and merchandising, route-to-market consultancy, warehousing and distribution, as well as product manufacturing and transport.

AI FRUIT WATER AIMS TO BRING 'HYDRATION BY NATURE' TO THE SOUTH AFRICAN MARKET

Where and when did AI start? And why?

AI Fruit Water began with a vision to offer a healthier alternative to sugary drinks while providing a refreshing hydration experience. Our citrus-driven range of natural sparkling water (lemon, mandarin and grapefruit) is infused with real African fruit that gives you a hit of refreshing flavour.

AI Fruit Water aims to bring 'hydration by nature' to the South African market, becoming health-conscious South African consumers' first choice when it comes to fruit-infused sparkling water.

AI Fruit Water is made in South Africa, and we are committed to supporting the South African economy. We work with farming partners located in Hoedspruit's subtropical mango- and citrus-producing region in the north of the country.

Every AI Fruit Water you buy supports the South African economy, farmers, factories, drivers and distributors. This is value that starts in South Africa and stays in South Africa; every purchase makes a real difference.

How and why did you choose the three flavours, lemon, grapefruit and mandarin?