Startup Allows Customers to Design Their Own Soft-Drinks

Entrepreneur: Nathan Altman, co-founder and CEO of Indianapolis- uFlavor, an online soft- company that lets customers design their beverages.

Bubbling under: uFlavor, already sells beverages in previously unheard-of flavor combinations, is perfecting a platform that will allow users create and customize drinks, the option to share them publicly (and try to profit them). Additionally, Altman and his team are working a vending machine that will allow users concoct drinks by mixing from 100 flavors.

Currently uFlavor.com, users can choose drinks created by entrepreneurs Zappos' Tony Hsieh and Zaarly's Bo Fishback; they can also upload their own images labels.

Drink up: Creations the site include blueberry-flavored water; clementine-and-vanilla soda; a coffee-flavored energy ; and grape-and-apple soda. Once the make-your-own platform rolls , users will be able to craft drinks with specifications as sweeteners, acids and flavoring agents; caffeine, taurine or vitamins; level of carbonation; color.

Why? To bring personalization and mass customization the drink industry, "like CafePress does with T-shirts," Altman says. "Flavor creation is where we're heading, the technology we've developed and formalizing it."

Customers: Altman says uFlavor's demographic is young, ranging high schoolers to thirtysomethings.

Marketing: After launching early December last year, the uFlavor team a tour bus to the West Coast to the word. In January, they sent a custom drink businesswoman Ivanka Trump, who tweeted how much she loved it. The company also recently released a lemon-and-lime energy drink designed by indie -hop artist Khleo; going forward, the full-time staff five hopes to collaborate with celebrities.

The competition: Coke already has mix-and- Freestyle machines on the market, but offer only branded beverages and lack the options of uFlavor's services. contrast, Altman says, "our approach is, How do we generate new brands, and allow people to ownership in what they've created?"

Cost: uFlavor.com offers a five-pack sampler $19, a single-flavor five-pack for $19 and a 23-pack for $54.

Up next: Altman and company are looking to a round of funding. "The big vision is that there's a unique flavor each person," Altman says. Eventually, the uFlavor team wants to employ a Netflix-like recommendation service drinks.


Adapted and abridged from: entrepreneur.com, July 11, 2012.