When Joe Slater returned to New Zealand after years in hospitality overseas, he and Mike Stewart wanted to build something new — outside the late nights of bars and restaurants. They spotted a gap: craft beer was exploding, but there were few creative, non-alcoholic options.

Six Barrel Soda makes natural, low-waste drink concentrates for home and hospitality. Since 2012 they have been shaking up the soda game with experimental batches and flavours that pop.

The path since has been scrappy and pragmatic. Joe recalls the thrill of opening with seven flavours, the constant financial juggling of a bootstrapped business, and the lessons of scaling through supermarkets and export. Over time, Six Barrel has matured into a brand that balances creativity with commercial reality. Their story shows how early consumer brands can test fast, manage cash carefully, and stay adaptable.

Startup Rollercoaster

⚡️ Six Barrel Soda survived by bootstrapping, testing in public, and treating cash flow as oxygen.

The Spark – Two Friends, One Gap

“We bootstrapped it. Our very first business was a little caravan café for about 10 grand. That made just enough money to open the bar, and the bar made just enough money to open the drinks business.”

• Friends from hospitality, restless for change.
• Saw craft beer booming, but non-alcoholic drinks ignored.
• Opened soda shop + production kitchen in 2012.
• Seven launch flavours — some flops, some instant hits.

The Peak – Shop Buzz & Early Validation

• The Soda shop became test lab + revenue stream.
• Customers gave daily feedback: flops (sarsaparilla), winners (peach iced tea).
• Instagram’s rise amplified the photogenic drinks.
• Early stockists: Moore Wilson’s, Commonsense Organics.

The Drop – Cashflow Strains

“Cash flow was always hard. We cranked an overdraft for a good few years… When we started exporting, that was a lot harder — suddenly you’re getting $50k orders, and they don’t want to pay for months.”

• Export orders exciting but brutal on working capital.
• Upfront production costs + long customer payment terms.
• Overdrafts became routine.
• Lesson: demand alone ≠ viability without cash discipline.

The Reset – Pragmatism Over Optimism

“We set up a store in Auckland… had the launch party on the night Jacinda Ardern announced the lockdown. At 3pm my phone just goes bing, bing, bing — ‘sorry I can’t come tonight.’ That was brutal.”

• By 2017, shifted from shop/hospitality to wholesale-first.
• COVID crushed bold expansion (Auckland store + US retail launch).
• Closed loss-making channels, refocused on core wholesale and supermarkets.
• Accepted growth would be steady, not exponential.

The Discipline – Adaptability & Networks

• Hired adaptable generalists from hospitality — staff who could switch between events, marketing, and packing.
• Seasonal spikes managed with temporary scale-ups.
• Weekly “coffee advisory board” with other founders offered better advice than formal networks.
• Kept production simple and flexible (400–500 bottles/day).

The Climb – A Steady Craft Brand

• Today stocked in ~40 supermarkets + hospitality venues.
• Retained premium brand position despite copycats undercutting on price.
• Export remains measured: Australia and US explored cautiously.
• Reputation as NZ’s original craft soda has endured.

Case Study

1. Why This Brand Got Started

Joe and Mike wanted to channel their hospitality experience into something sustainable. The soda kitchen/shop model allowed them to test daily with customers while funding growth. It proved that sodas could be as creative as cocktails or craft beer.

2. Launch & First Batch

Seven flavours launched in 2012. Customer feedback was immediate: some failed, others built loyalty. Crucially, the shop covered operating costs, letting wholesale grow without heavy overhead.

3. Cash Flow: The Existential Challenge

Bootstrapped from the start, Six Barrel lived on reinvested profits. Export exposed the biggest pain: upfront production, shipping delays, and months before payment. Joe described it as a constant juggle of overdrafts and bills.

4. Growth Mindset Reset

At first, Joe resisted supermarkets — fearing they’d dilute the craft feel. But mainstream channels were unavoidable.

“We were like, we’re never going to be in supermarkets — we’re too cool for that. And then some friends were like, what are you talking about? I want to buy things in supermarkets. And we were like, yeah, true. Me too.”

By entering ~40 supermarkets, Six Barrel reached a broader customer base — but required barcodes, packaging tweaks, and pricing discipline.

5. Founder Reality Checks

COVID was a harsh reset: the Auckland store opened the same day as NZ’s first lockdown. US retail collapsed as shelves emptied. Instead of chasing sunk costs, Joe cut back, closed the store, and reset the strategy.

6. Lessons for Other Founders

• Cashflow is king. Big orders can kill if capital isn’t lined up.
• Test in public. A shop-as-lab gave fast validation without extra burn.
• Price strategically. Premium positioning matters, but watch margins vs. copycats.
• Be adaptable. From flavours to staffing, flexibility was survival.
• Build peer networks. Informal founder coffees often trump formal advisors.

Key Takeaways

• Bootstrapping shapes resilience. Funding growth from profits creates discipline.
• Cashflow dictates survival. Exports especially strain working capital.
• Supermarkets matter. Hard to avoid, but require operational readiness.
• Adaptability is survival. Shutting stores, pivoting channels, or tweaking flavours is part of the game.
• Community support compounds. Peer networks provide practical, real-time guidance.

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