Two kids. One pool. Always squash.
Best friends since we were 8 and 9. Now the two people behind druice.
Water in water? No thanks.
We met at Waltham Forest Gators. Every session, squash in the bottle: orange and pineapple for Drew, apple and blackcurrant for Rhianna-Lee.
In March 2012, we raced at the Six Host Borough Championships, the first competition in the London 2012 pool. Then life happened. Different schools, different unis. We never lost touch.
"Not another one of your business ideas."
At uni, Drew ran out of drink halfway through a gym session. He topped up with water, and the leftover pre-workout taste was grim. What if more flavour sat at the top and dropped in at the press of a button?
A mate's verdict: not another one of your business ideas. It went on the list.
Years later, back coaching at NUEL, a swimmer with a headache turned down water.
"I don't drink water. I only drink squash."
Look along any poolside and most bottles have squash in them. The idea came off the list.
Two levers, one spring, no money left.
Drew put £25,000 of savings in and teamed up with AETHA, a design studio in Poole. His sister Elise sat in on the first call, because he was too nervous to do it alone. Prototype after prototype followed, and then the money ran out.
Rhianna-Lee had just finished her master's and started coaching at NUEL. She agreed to help, but not to take a share. It took a while to change her mind.
Her first call: "Get rid of that open spring." One button. One drop.
All in.
Life savings. Friends and family. A supermarket bottle review that hit 300k views, then 7.2 million views since, with zero ads. Then we pressed go on manufacturing.
Who does what
Rhianna-Lee
The numbers, the logistics, the to-do list. The reason things actually get done.
apple & pear
Drew
The ideas, the emails, the people. The reason there's always a new plan.
orange & pineappleWhy "druice"?
A drop of juice. drop + juice = druice. Yes, it also sounds like Drew. Rhianna-Lee lets him have that one.
More water, less waste, flavour from the squash already in your cupboard.
