Consumers want zero sugar, real ingredients, and provenance they can verify. What they get is flavoured sugar water, extractions, and invented "functionality."
Not "reduced." Not "no added." Zero.
Something they can pronounce and picture.
68% of Gen Z prefer brands with a verifiable place-story.
Stevia, erythritol, monk fruit — engineered, not grown.
"Adaptogenic," "biohacked," "reset" — noise on the label.
"Nordic-inspired" from a factory in Texas.
Tapped once a year, in the brief Baltic spring window. Lightly sparkled. Finished with a whisper of natural mint. 95.6% birch sap and honesty about the rest.
The category leaders (Sepp, Sibberi, Byrrh, Lemonaid) have raised tens of millions on similar stories. None own the boreal narrative — and none are from the actual boreal.
One serving. Sized to be finished. Built for a hotel minibar, a clubhouse fridge, a table setting — not left half-empty in the door of your fridge.
Product produced, D2C live, first paying B2B customers, private-label deals signed. No investor capital yet — bootstrapped.
Product-market fit validated at premium venues. Distribution channels identified and pre-qualified. Ask: capital to fund listing fees and inventory to accept the shelf space.
Nordic-owned, premium HFSS-conscious segment. Direct listing conversation open.
Baltic scale — 180+ stores in Latvia alone. Category buyer identified.
Second-wave targets once RIMI/MAXIMA lock.
Kempinski Grand Riga, Neiburgs, Radisson Riga — minibar + wellness placements.
Ozo (live), Reinis, Jurmala. Extends to Estonian & Lithuanian courses.
By curation. Featured on "no-and-low" menus emerging across Riga.
Functional beverages, sparkling water, premium non-alc — all growing double-digit. Birch water is the fastest-growing subcategory from a tiny base.
Category is early enough that a first-mover with authentic origin can own it — before US/UK players notice. Latvia's boreal position = defensible provenance no marketing budget can replicate.
€17.99 – €54.99 per pack. 71–77% gross margin. Direct customer relationship, email list, high-touch premium feel.
€1.40 – €1.90 per can. 60–64% gross margin. Hotels, restaurants, golf clubs, distributors. Volume + repeat.
€2.20 – €3.50 per can. ~40% gross margin. Brand partnerships (VEHO, Ozo). Low customer churn, brand-halo growth.
The private-label wedge is our unfair advantage — Ozo, VEHO, and hotel partnerships pay for our production runs while our own D2C + wholesale brand grows on top.
Product built, D2C launched, first B2B contracts closed — with no full-time employees and no investor money. Every euro spent is a euro that stayed close.
Ex-quantitative analyst and retail trader. Built the D2C store, wholesale portal, brand system, and B2B pipeline. Riga-based, Latvian residency, 15+ years across financial markets and consumer products.
Provides strategic oversight, governance, and network reach for SIA TAIGA BALTIC. Brings creative direction, cultural fluency, and long-standing relationships across the Latvian premium consumer landscape. Steers brand identity and ensures every commercial decision aligns with the boreal-quiet TAIGA voice.
Retired Partner, PwC Central and Eastern Europe. Three decades of audit, corporate finance, and cross-border transaction experience across the CEE region. Brings institutional-grade governance, financial discipline, and a deep Baltic-to-London network. Advises on capital structure, board formation, and international expansion — the counterweight every early-stage founder needs and few can access.
Two additional advisory seats open — seeking a Baltic FMCG operator and a Nordic distribution executive to complete the board.
Retail chains + hospitality + distributors
taigawater.lv + Amazon EU expansion
Golf clubs, hotels, brand partnerships
Target milestones by month 18: €1M ARR run-rate · RIMI + MAXIMA live in Latvia · Coop distribution in 1 Nordic market · Ozo/VEHO partnership case studies published · on track for institutional Series A.