If you are a savvy consumer, you know there are more beverage choices than ever. Before you drink that next high-calorie soda pop, stop and consider a healthier alternative.
SodaStream began operation in 1903. Giles Gilby invented a carbonation system; it made fizzy water from standard water, and was originally marketed to the upper classes. In the 1920s, different flavours were introduced. Cherry ciderette and sarsaparilla were two of these. In the 1970s and 80s it enjoyed vast success, becoming a big hit in countries such as the Germany, Australia, and the UK.
The company underwent numerous changes in ownership, at one stage even being part of the Cadbury Schweppes empire. 1998 was the year SodaStream changed hands for the final time when purchased by Soda Club, which at that time was Israel’s biggest supplier of SodaStream. After Soda Club’s unsuccessful bid to rename the brand from SodaStream to Soda-Club, the name of the brand remained SodaStream.
Recently Soda Club sought to rename the SodaStream brand. Focusing on the health and diet issues that are so prevalent in this day and age, SodaStream was relaunched with a new machine and many new flavours, concentrating on putting forth a healthy alternative to fizzy, sugar-rich drinks such as Coca Cola and Pepsi.
The SodaStream product is basically a home carbonation kit; it allows you to change water into sparkling water, as well as allowing you to add low-calorie flavours such as cola and orange. A large assortment of calorie-free flavours to flavour sparkling water to great taste is sold at allfreightfree.com.
The SodaStream machine works by forcing co2 into a water-filled bottle suitable for pressurising. The co2 turns the water into sparkling water. This process (dissolving co2) is referred to as carbonation. The carbonated water can then be drunk on its own as sparkling water, or mixed with flavours to create tasty, healthy treats. Once the co2 canisters have been used up they can be sent back to Soda-Club who recycle the canisters by refilling them with co2 then sending them back out.
As far as the actual health and diet benefits gained from drinking SodaStream, it is claimed that all their flavours are completely sugar-free and contain a maximum of 2 calories per 100ml; no doubt this is good news for parents concerned about their children’s diet.
The SodaStream machine adds only co2 to the water, meaning it does not have the added sugar that some bottled sparkling water contains, so there is hardly any difference between it and normal water.
SodaStream have made much of their environmental and health credentials, going so far as to say that each litre bottle of SodaStream saves three aluminum cans. The result is that over a 3 year span, a family of four could slash their soft-drink-related packaging usage by over 90%. This is a big claim, one that should stand them in good stead in this environmentally conscious age. Obviously, Sodastream has developed into a viable alternative to the big players in the soft drink world.