Über die Sparklys Getränkegesellschaft

How it all began

The story of Sparklys takes us back to the spring of 2019, on a journey through the USA. Two students were enjoying the Hawaiian sunset after surfing when a couple approached them and offered them an ominous drink. The appearance of the can was hard to categorize; it seemed to contain alcohol, yet it looked more like a sports drink. The two inquired with the couple: It was a “hard seltzer,” a sparkling water infused with alcohol and flavors. “Perfect for young and active people like you!” the couple said with a wink.

The two students were fascinated by the drink. That same night, they immersed themselves in research regarding the market situation outside the USA, specifically in Switzerland, and found nothing! No sales figures, no importers, not even a single press article could be found...

Hard seltzer as a beer alternative?

They also noticed the drink's presence on the California mainland; at music festivals and student parties, hard seltzer was being drunk by the majority instead of beer. For the two students, it was a very unusual and exciting shift in drinking culture that had so far completely bypassed little Switzerland.

Even before traveling back to Switzerland, they contacted their friend, a designer by trade, as it was almost as important to them as the contents of the can, and they told him about the idea of creating a new drink for the Swiss market. They were already ordering a wide variety of flavors and ingredients to be sent to Switzerland during the journey back, so as not to waste any time.

Back home and now a trio, they were able to get straight to work. The first drinks were mixed in the kitchen — it must have been how alchemists once felt. Over 100 different flavors and variations of the drink were tested. The team experimented with citric acid for the first time, with unforeseen consequences. After a "mixing session" one evening in the summer of 2019, one of them felt severe abdominal pain. His appendix became inflamed and had to be surgically removed the following morning. All to bring a beverage trend to Switzerland. Therefore, no one can claim that no sacrifices were made.

The first recipe and a prototype

At the end of the summer of 2019, we finally had a recipe that everyone liked (and that caused no adverse effects). A small contract filler was found to produce prototypes in a minimum quantity. After a long search and many inquiries, one company agreed to fill 2,000 cans with paper labels. The prototypes were produced in February 2020 and distributed to friends and family along with a feedback form. The reactions were clear — the idea was well received here, too.