We were honestly sick of soft drinks being so sweet so we decided to rethink drink. We wanted to make a soft drink that was actually soft. This is how CANS was born: Alpine spring water with a splash of real fruit and some bubbles. Just 3 ingredients and no sugarcoating.
Tell us about the business – what it is, what it aims to achieve, who you work with, how you reach customers and so on?
CANS is a Prague-based soft drink startup founded in 2023 by Jaroslav Beck, Jan Rambousek, and myself. The company's mission is to create the non-sweet drinks category.
CANS offers three refreshing flavours: apple, cherry, and lemon (and I can tell you that one new flavour is coming very very soon). We established a presence in our home market Czech Republic, expanded to Slovakia, Germany, UK and we are already working on going overseas.
What also gives us real freedom in scaling our business so fast is of course that we are self funded and we have a strong dedicated team of professionals. We have an internal creative department that’s able to create magic in house so we don’t use any agencies etc. so the process of developing marketing ideas, campaigns etc. is very effective and fun at the same time.
Regarding our distribution strategy we have a diverse setup. Approximately 80% of sales coming from both on-premise and off-premise channels, including grocery stores, convenience stores, petrol stations, coffee shops, bars, and restaurants. The remaining 20% of sales are generated through e-commerce platforms, such as Amazon in Germany and the company's own e-shop.
How has the business evolved since its launch? When was this?
As I mentioned, we started in 2023 and after selling 1,000,000 CANS in just 18 months, we realised that there’s a lot of people with a not so sweet tooth. So we are expanding around the world to give people a healthier option to sodas, colas and fizzy drinks. The ultimate mission is clear: create the non-sweet soft drinks category to help people reduce their sugar and sweeteners intake.
Tell us about the working culture at CANS?
We are a real startup to our very core. Dynamic vibes all around. We are also very open and transparent in our communication internally and externally too. We are not afraid to try things, think out of the box and even fail, learn from it and move forward.
What has been your biggest challenge so far and how have you overcome this?
My biggest challenge has been to find a way to handle everything. As we are growing at an incredibly fast pace, there are multiple challenges constantly. Keeping all the plates spinning at the same time and ensuring we are always focusing on the things which bring the greatest value is a constant challenge.
I have found that even in the midst of the madness it’s important to stop, and go and do something else, change my environment, think about other things and refresh. I find that doing this at regular intervals helps me to come back energized and focused on what’s important.
How does CANS answer an unmet need?
In my mind it’s simple, and I can relate it to my own experience. When I decided I wanted to avoid sugar and sweeteners, what I very quickly found was that there were very few options. In a cafe or a bar or a shop, there are always plenty of sugary drinks (including fruit juices etc..) & plenty of diet and zero options packed with sweeteners and a load of weird chemicals, but no tasty non-sweet option. What we have found so far is that there are plenty of people like me who face the same lack of choice and would love to have the choice.
What’s in store for the future?
Of course we are working on development of new flavours and even expanding to new beverage categories…but will let you know more at the right time… 🙂
What one piece of advice would you give other founders or future founders?
Sweat the small stuff, celebrate the small wins as you go and believe in your mission.
And finally, a more personal question! What’s your daily routine and the rules you’re living by at the moment?
A usual day would see me get up at around 5:45am, hit the gym and get into the office by around 8:30am. I’m usually there most of the day, but in bed by 9:30pm.
In general I try my best to focus on getting enough good quality sleep as there is nothing that influences your general wellbeing more than sleep. So I go to bed and get up at the same time, even on weekends and do most of the other things that promote great sleep.
When it comes to my nutrition I typically try to avoid sugar and sweeteners and eat meals that are freshly prepared from whole foods with a focus on getting plenty of meat and vegetables, and trying to cut out simple carbs as much as possible. I also avoid drinking alcohol most of the time.
I get as much movement as I can before work, after work and on weekends. For me this means 3x strength and core in the gym, some HIIT twice per week, kickboxing on weekends, and playing padel and football in a local league some evenings during the week.
Social connection is also super important and so I spend as much time as I can with my wife, my family and my friends whenever possible.
Overall I’m trying my best (but not perfect) to keep myself in good shape as I have a big responsibility for CANS and because I am passionate about our mission I want to do the maximum possible to help us succeed.
Dominic Rice is the cofounder and CEO of CANS.
