Gaining an edge

Walk down the aisles of any supermarket or check out drink-dispensing machines and you’ll see plenty of products with big-brand labels. Whether you’re after something fizzy, a sports drink, flavoured milk, juice, iced tea or plain old water, chances are you’ll remember the makers’ names from when you were a kid. For a challenger brand like Nexba, therefore, there are big hurdles to jump.

Troy Douglas and his brother-in-law, Drew Bilbe, set up Nexba in 2010 with personal loans and family backing, and their drinks can now be found in convenience stores and supermarkets across Australia. They have also just signed a deal to sell through Sainsbury’s, the third largest supermarket chain in the UK. Europe, and perhaps the US, beckon. Sales have doubled in each of the past three years, and they don’t expect a slowdown any time soon.