OUR STORY

For over 12 years, we’ve been making experimental soda syrup batches and flavours that pop in our small-batch kitchen. We’ve grown into a small team of soda lovers who make wonderful drinks worth savouring. They're delicious because they are made with real ingredients, like New Zealand citrus, organic ginger, Central Otago cherries, and Fair Trade organic cane sugar. Our drinks are free from preservatives and artificial sweeteners, colours and flavours and contain around 30% less sugar than most sodas.

Six Barrel Soda was founded by old friends Joe & Mike, back in 2012. While mixing drinks in their Wellington dive bar when they couldn’t find a decent cocktail syrup for the life of them. After some dodgy batches and plenty of experimenting, they discovered the perfect formula for delicious real fruit syrups that worked in cocktails, mocktails, or simply as a soda. Six Barrel Soda was born, and the soda industry became forever shaken up for the better.

In April 2025, Matt and Tracy Day of St Andrews Limes acquired the legacy brand, strengthening both brands and enhancing production capabilities, while maintaining Six Barrel Soda's status as an independent and sustainable soda maker. St Andrews Limes is a family business that operated out of its commercial kitchen in Havelock North for over 18 years. Matt and Tracy have relocated the Six Barrel Soda kitchen to a purpose-built facility in the heart of Hawkes Bay – the fruit bowl of New Zealand!

Six Barrel Soda remains committed to being a force for good in the food & beverage industry. Historically soda was made-to-order in soda fountains and drug stores in the USA, and many other communities have traditionally mixed drinks for special occasions. Somewhere along the way, we became accustomed to the convenience of quaffing our soda’s from plastic bottles at our leisure - but it doesn't have to be this way. From recyclable packaging to using Fairtrade and organic ingredients, here are some of the things we’re doing in the sustainability space.

We are Living Wage Accredited, Independently NZ owned, one of Cuisine Magazine's '100 Tastes of NZ', Winners of the NZ 2021 Artisan Awards for non-alcoholic drinks and Capital Mag's Best Artisan Food & Drink Winner 2023. The rest of the world is catching on too, with our syrups and sodas now being enjoyed in Australia, Japan, Hong Kong, Canada, Kuwait and more emerging soon.

Curious about anything else? Ask away.