Lunch and dinner guests who are not drinking alcohol still want something that feels like a proper soft drink — not juice, not another kombucha, not a kids’ pour. Restaurants that only offer post-mix cola leave that guest with nothing adult to order.
Sidekick is a honey-sweetened fruit soda in a 250ml can: real fruit, New Zealand honey, no cane sugar, no stevia. It is the treat can, not a wellness claim.
Where it sits on the menu
List it with bottled / canned soft drinks and adult non-alc serves — not in the post-mix column, and not as “healthy soda.”
Staff line: honey-sweetened, no cane sugar.
Price it like other bottled serves, not fountain syrup: How to price honey soda on a café menu. Same rule applies on a dinner board.
Fridge and pass
- Hand height in the cold door or back-bar fridge
- Cherry as the safe open; Pear next to food; Mango / Strawberry when you want range
- One facing that looks intentional beats three half-empty holes
Flavour map: Flavour guide for stockists. Café-adjacent decision: How cafés choose a better soft-drink fridge.
Cans only going forward — no glass bottle programme for trade: Cans vs glass for cafés.
Different from the AF cooler pitch
An alcohol-free cooler for a party is a different job: How to stock an alcohol-free cooler. This page is service: guests ordering with a meal.
Lodging lobby / minibar: Lobby and minibar without the default soft drink.
How restaurants order
This is wholesale, not Fridge Fill.
| Rule | Detail |
|---|---|
| Case | 12 × 250ml cans |
| Minimum | 5 cases |
| Mix | Flavours across cases |
| Invoices | GST on Upstock |
- Hub: wholesale for NZ cafés and retailers
- Walkthrough: How NZ trade buyers order on Upstock
- Or email Fiona with venue name and region
Suggested open: 3 Cherry · 1 Pear · 1 Mango or Strawberry.
