Stream Drinks is made up of a dynamic team of five misfits brought together for a greater good. Their aim: to offer a product that retains the integrity of all the functional ingredients inside. The secret lies in the one-of-a-kind cap, a first for SA, and the exclusively designed bottle containing 100 per cent natural spring water.
Is Stream Drinks a mineral water or a functional beverage? Ryan Dix-Peek, co-founder of Stream Drinks, explains, ‘Well, we sit on the fence really and this has allowed us to do so much more!’
The freeze-dried ingredients are separated from the water. Locked up in the unique cap, no air or sunlight can reach the functional ingredients and so no preservatives are necessary, explains Dix-Peek. Not only are Stream Drinks preservative-free, he adds, ‘We think there’s a few hot potatoes for this product. It’s calorie-free and sugar-free.’
Unwilling to divulge the supplier in order to maintain exclusivity on the cap, Dix-Peek did tell Food Review it’s imported from America. ‘We tried to get a system that is as simple as possible and functions every time and we hope to produce a demand that will enable us to develop our own cap, made in SA,’ he says.
Of the ingredients, Dix-Peek says, ‘Grant Momple, of Afriplex, has the know-how to enter a product onto the market. He worked with the team for nine months developing the flavours and ingredients.’ It’s the exact dosage in each cap of each ingredient that secures the product’s functionality and the claims made are pertinent to each ingredient. ‘Developing flavours that can disguise the functional ingredients’ flavours is difficult,’ Dix-Peek expands.
Stream Drinks have also made some bold statements, using ingredients that have never been used in a South African drink before such as Q10, usually associated with anti-ageing cosmetics. ‘If it’s absorbed by the skin we thought, why wouldn’t it be absorbed, even better, in the intestine?’
Stream Drinks come in five flavours, each aimed at a specific market segment. McStreamy is the ultimate women’s drink with anti-aging and weight loss benefits. XStream is an energy drink. UpStream is for everyday vitality. LoveStream will awaken your senses and SlipStream aims at keeping you mentally focused.
Despite admitting Stream Drinks is going through a ‘teething stage’, the range was recently launched at Vida e Caffe in Cape Town. After the Vitamin Water debacle, Dix-Peek says, Vida was looking for a replacement. ‘We are what we say, so we fit the mould,’ he says.
All research into the functionality of the ingredients used in each product is endorsed by Stream Drinks very own doctor. ‘He’s a quirky guy,’ says Dix-Peek. After completing medicine at the University of Cape Town, Dr James Laporta developed a keen interest in various other areas of medicine. ‘The doc’ currently practices complementary medicine and maintains an interest in current medical research and the promotion of complementary medicine in SA. He has been, and still is, involved in various non profit organisations and community work and his desire is to continuously develop his knowledge and skills as a medical practitioner.
So, how did this crazy idea come about? ‘After an evening surf, the doc stumbled, exhausted, from shop-to-shop scanning the shelves for a healthy and fun drink to quench his thirst,’ explains Dix-Peek, ‘and this simple trip sparked the idea for Stream Drinks. Something without sugar, without guilt, something that felt 'health-giving' and was worthy of a healthy label,’ Dix-Peek goes on to say.
The stream endeavour is a simple mission: To use current news and media information on health and beverage awareness to support our brand and authenticate our product and to meet emerging market consumer needs, says Dix-Peek.
Beverages is a very competitive sector globally and in SA. Stream Drinks grasped at the hole Vitamin Water’s bad reputation left in the market and produced a healthy, energy-sustaining functional beverage all about retaining integrity – the integrity of the ingredients used, the claims made and the overall marketing strategy of the products. ‘We are a fun drink that’s focused on being healthy,’ emphasises Dix-Peek.
