Beverage Startups
You Have To Truly Believe In Your Project, Says Nacho Alonso
It’s been 50 years since man first landed on the moon. Although most people will never get to walk on the moon, they can now enjoy the refreshing taste of MoonWater. This sparkling mineral water comes in four different flavors and has landed just in time to celebrate this most remarkable of anniversaries. Today, I have the pleasure of talking with Nacho Alonso, the founder, and C.E.O. of MoonWater.
1. Who or what inspired you to set up MoonWater?
As a consumer, I really struggled to find a soft drink that tasted good and matched up with my values. I wanted a soda that tasted great, but that also had its own unique charm, something healthy and natural, with sustainable packaging to boot. Given that I couldn’t find this product here on Earth, we had to go to the moon and back to get it, hence the idea of creating the MoonWater brand. It also contains two magic words, Moon – admired and revered throughout history by all cultures, and associated with purity and beauty – and Water, the largest source of life on the planet. What better combination could you ask for?
2. MoonWater comes in four different flavors. Can you tell us more about each of them? Which one is your favorite?
When it came to choosing the flavors, we decided to be inventive and took our inspiration from the different types of the full moon: Blood Orange, inspired by the blood moon, a total lunar eclipse that takes on a red hue. Blue Berries, inspired by the ultra-rare blue moon, which is the second moon to fall in the same month. Super Mango, inspired by the super moon, which is when the earth is closer to the moon and it appears bigger. Original Lime, inspired by the original full moon.
To be honest with you, I don’t personally have a favorite flavor, it really depends on what mood I’m in, or where I am at the time.
3. It takes time to create a successful soft drink brand. What challenges have you faced since you decided to launch MoonWater?
It’s been a long road so far and we’ve overcome our fair share of obstacles. We don’t originally have backgrounds in the soft drink industry, and for better or worse, the industry is hugely dominated by large multinational firms.
The hardest part is the distribution side of things – consumers go crazy when they try our product, but we find it difficult to reach them. The industry is very conservative and prefers to hedge its bets on “safer products”, but people are failing to realize that consumers aren’t interested in artificial products anymore. That said, we are now slowly but surely seeing the industry change, and it is gradually starting to focus more on providing customers with better quality products.
4. It’s been 50 years since the moon landing, making 2019 a significant year for achieving some big goals. What are the biggest milestones MoonWater aims to reach this year?
Our first mission is to return to the moon, which we aim to do by placing one can on top of another – meaning we need to collect 2,650 million cans. We know this is a gargantuan task, but as JFK said in his legendary speech “we choose to go to the moon, not because it is easy, but because it is hard…” If we can reach this goal, then we will have improved the quality of life on our planet with a healthy and sustainable soft drink.
5. The beverage market is overflowing with sparkling mineral water brands. What makes MoonWater different from the rest?
First and foremost, its flavor, aroma and unique identity, as well as the fact that we only use the highest quality ingredients and materials to create four mouth-watering varieties. All of this, combined with our a strong, sharp brand, the powerful story behind MoonWater, and our hugely ambitious goal to improve the very quality of life on our planet, are all factors that make us shine and stand out from the rest.
6. What advice would you have given yourself before you started out in the beverage business?
Wow, that’s a great question! I would give myself plenty of advice, but I think for an entrepreneur, the best advice of all is to truly believe in your project, surround yourself with the best team of professionals out there, listen to the consumer and have a lot of patience and a cool head when it comes to making decisions.
For more information visit MoonWater’s website.
