1642, improved soft drinks

Summer is well and truly over, but the 1642 company is making it last longer by launching 1642 Orange : a carbonated beverage with a taste of Labrador tea, bergamot and bitter orange peel. This new kid joins their three existing products: 1642 Cola, 1642 Tonic and 1642 Ginger.

1642 is the idea of ​​Bastien Poulain, a Breton living in Quebec for ten years. Since his youth, the entrepreneur has dreamed of having a business. He chooses the field of soft drinks since he deplores having the choice only between the blue brand and the red brand. The 1642 company was born from the desire to offer a more natural and local soft drink alternative. The entrepreneur also defines his company as "the microbrewery of soft drinks". As for the name 1642, it refers to the founding year of the city of Montreal. This couldn't make more sense, because Bastien considers himself a Montrealer by adoption and because all of his suppliers are within a 200 kilometer radius of the city.

The perseverance of an entrepreneur

During our discussion, Bastien told me that it is necessary for an entrepreneur to be persistent: “Refusals, you will often get them and sometimes you have to wait for the 150th ^refusal to get a yes. He adds that there is however a difference between stubbornness and perseverance. If someone says no, you have to accept it.

When he had his first difficulties, it was passion that kept him going. Bastien says he will always encounter problems, but that he manages to overcome them thanks to the adrenaline that his business gives him. This passion, I felt it throughout my discussion with him. What excites him every day is "to be the little gravel in the shoes of two multinationals (not having the same budget at all), to be able to create wealth in Quebec and to be able to bring something different on the market ".

A more natural choice

The 1642 company uses only natural sugars such as honey, maple syrup and apple juice. Bastien is proud, and with good reason, to explain to me that his beverages do not contain any preservatives, whereas there are several preservatives in industrial soft drinks, such as sodium benzoate, which may be related to hyperactivity in children. I was so surprised to learn this and, believe me, 1642 has just won a loyal customer! It is also important for the company to use only natural flavors and not chemical and artificial flavors. This means that by drinking a 1642 soft drink, you are not only drinking something good in taste, but also something natural.

Reduce your ecological footprint

Bastien told me how important it is for him that his company reduce its ecological footprint. To achieve this, glass bottles are used instead of plastic bottles for the packaging of soft drinks. Plus, it looks so much prettier! The entrepreneur gave me a heartfelt cry: "stop using plastic, it doesn't make sense!" “His biggest dream great would be to make people aware so that they reduce their use of plastic. He also told me he was surprised by the huge formats of soft drinks sold in stores. It is important for him to consume less and above all better. This is also what motivated the choice of a 250 milliliter format and the use of glass bottles.

Having glass bottles rather than plastic and offering more natural products is very rewarding, according to Bastien. He believes this is what all businesses should be doing in 2018, but for many, gain and profitability are the priority.

Bastien told me that the fifth product of 1642 will be launched in December. The flavor is not yet revealed, but stay tuned because it may be as delicious as the others!

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Reviewed By Melanie