When DASH Water advertised an aubergine “in its natural glory” its its first Tube ad, the campaign was banned by Transport for London for being too provocative. 

“We wanted to use beautifully wonky fruit to shine a light on the issue of food waste,” says co-founder Alex Wright. “But one of the pictures was picked up for being too risqué. Still, the picture went viral and ended up getting far more coverage by being banned than it would have via our billboards – turning a rejection into one of our most talked about marketing wins.”

From its inception in 2017, “we understood the power of a direct relationship with our customers,” Wright adds. “As the big soft drink multinationals dominate through retail, with strong relationships, we focused on selling directly online. Just before Covid hit, we were fortunate to have just launched a new subscription service on our website which proved to be game changing for us. As pubs, bars, and restaurant sales took a hit, online demand skyrocketed, fuelling unprecedented growth and allowing us to double the size of the business that year.”

Today over 50% of DASH’s £42 million sales are online, with 9,000 subscribers to its own website. “I always knew that we had a great product, mission and opportunity but the speed and scale of our success have exceeded my expectations,” Wright admits. 

“It still feels surreal whenever I see someone drinking a can of DASH in the street or stocked on the shop shelf. One of my friends last week sent a picture of our cans in a remote fridge in Costa Rica, so cool to see!”

The founders have raised £21 million so far, with Wright saying the potential funding is gushing – allowing them to be picky. “The hardest thing has not been finding cash but ensuring the individuals we bring on board are aligned with our mission, able to add value and people we get on well with,” he reports. “Too many startups do not perform adequate due diligence on the investors they bring on board, which can cause all sorts of complications further down the line. We’ve been intentional about who we work with.”

DASH’s angel investors include ex-Ireland ruby captain, Johnny Sexton, Manchester United footballer Patrice Evra, and chairman, David Milner, ex-CEO of Tyrrells crisps and Lily’s Kitchen pet food.

Wright says running his scale-up is far easier than the start-up phase. “The early days of getting the business off the ground were when we had our most challenging days – manufacturing blow-ups, worrying about whether our cash flow would see us through to the next month… As we scale up, we’re fortunate to have an outstanding team, with each member excelling in their role far beyond what I could ever do.”

The brand has also built up profit protection via its strong brand. “Shortly after we created DASH, it felt like a new competitor launched every couple of months, including from big multinational soft drinks manufacturers. I remember thinking, how on earth are we going to stay ahead when they’re spending millions on marketing? But fortunately consumers love our mission of infusing wonky fruit to create a delicious no-sugar or sweetener drink: it’s enabled us to carve out our own space in the market.”

 Dash has now expanded into 20 other countries, but Wright won’t comment on how many takeover approaches he’s received, and says there’s no exit plan. “We are relatively young – we started the business when we were just 24 years old and still have a lot of drive to build the business globally and have no ambitions to exit the business.”

Dash co-founders Jack Scott and Alex Wright