Spruce /spruːs/ verb: to make something look smarter, fresher, better. That's exactly what we set out to do to a glass of water.
It started on a hill
I'd been sitting on the idea for a while before it had a name. I knew the name would be the easy bit, but because the idea itself is so simple, I also knew it had to be right.
It arrived on a long walk above Haweswater Reservoir in the Lake District. I was turning the idea over and over: what it was, what it should stand for, what mattered most to me. Everything kept coming back to real things and natural beauty. Then "spruce" just leapt out. I liked it straight away. Thirty minutes later I thought it was perfect.
Most of us know spruce as a verb. "I'm just going to give myself a quick spruce." That's exactly what this does to water.
It's also a tree, a big evergreen one, and as a self-confessed geography nerd that sealed it.
From Sunny D to Spruce
As kids, drinks were exciting. You'll remember Sunny D bursting onto the scene: the bright lids, the endless switching between Florida and California. Then there was my grandparents' SodaStream, which made the first "hipster" drink I ever had. My brother and I had our own special glasses, and we'd be buzzing for days.
Then, somewhere along the way, soft drinks stopped moving. Gin had a renaissance and tonic got a makeover. Beer became unrecognisable. "Coffee snob" became a compliment. Meanwhile most of what was on offer for the rest of the day was still sugary, artificial, or plain water that nobody quite manages enough of.
The world had moved on, though. Everyone carries a reusable bottle. Sugar is a treat, not something to sip all day. And we want what we drink to taste great and do a little good.
Powder to the people
I wanted to flavour water with real fruit and nothing to hide. So once I was sure the idea had legs, I quit a demanding full-time job and went all in.
I tried making Spruce in a lot of different ways before landing on powder. Powder is pure: dried real fruit captures the aroma and taste of the fruit itself, without bulking agents or preservatives. Tear open a sachet and you'll smell it straight away.
Getting the balance right took hours and days of DIY R&D, then proper tasting sessions with people who know far more about flavour than I do. Think about the most refreshing lime drink you've had, then think about biting into an actual lime. They're different things, and getting from one to the other is where the work is.
Water's better Spruced
Those first flavours have grown into a range with a job for every part of your day.
- Everyday enhancersRaspberry & Elderflower and Lime & Mint, for drinking more water, all day.
- Vitamin D + CYour daily D in a pineapple and grapefruit glass.
- FocusA caffeine-free black cherry for the 3pm slump.
- Daily electrolytesLow-sodium minerals with real fruit, for every day.
- Wind-downPeach magnesium for the evening.
Same idea throughout: real fruit, zero sugar, and a little sachet that makes a big glass of water something to look forward to.
Spruce is still the antidote to artificial. Tear, tip, top up. Thank us later.
