CAPTION: Nadav Haimberg brings new flavor to the Winter Park community with his gourmet sodas.
I have a Sodastream, I admit it. I couldn’t help myself, I adore carbonated beverages. Imagine my excitement when I found out that a Rollins alumni, Nadav Haimberg, is the CEO of a new Florida-based, carbonated beverage company! Needless to say, I had to learn more. Onli Beverages is a sparkling beverage company that prides itself on taste and quality. They take a more culinary approach than is typical of beverage companies these days. Onli Beverages is a company still in its infancy, but they’re off to a strong start with two Rollins MBA alumni on the team.
Nadav likes to think that at the tender age of 33 he might be the oldest member of his company. Onli is a youthful company with an old school take on quality and taste–that they matter. I tend to agree. When discussing the company name, Nadav explains, “Because of our mission, we needed a name that would evoke exclusivity and came up with ‘Only.’ Before long, it turned into ‘Onli,’ another nod to its subtle unique character.”
Onli currently offers seven flavors: Hibiscus Pomegranate Aronia, Huckleberry Pomegranate Aronia, Lemon Watermelon, Lemon, Mango, Passion Fruit and Mint, Espresso Swiss Hazelnut, Green Tea Lemongrass Mango, and Hibiscus Strawberry Unsweetened.
With the help of Stephen Asporino, who appeared on the first season of Top Chef, Onli Beverages developed their flavors with the mission in mind to “elevate taste.” This isn’t your regular soda, but I might call it Izze 2.0. Onli’s beverage line was developed in just four months by their team, thanks to their energetic corporate culture.
These all-natural, sparkling beverages are fantastic all on their own; every flavor I tried (all seven of them) had something special to offer. As soon as I heard about Onli, I wondered how they’d taste in cocktail form–and I wasn’t alone in my wondering. Onli has taken its exquisite beverages, teamed up with mixologists, and created upscale cocktails. (SCORE!) The restaurant, 310 Park South, is one of the first venues in Orlando that will be offering such cocktails–and I’ll be first in line.
I tried the Lemon Watermelon with my lunch today and, I must say, it tasted like summer. If the desk phone hadn’t been ringing off of the hook, I could have escaped to a happy place far, far away. By and by, while plagued with office boredom, I chanced a glance at the back of the bottle and happily found that I can pronounce every ingredient in it! That is surely not the case with many of Onli’s competitors–I’m looking at you, Diet Coke. And it only has 90 calories. (Their teas only have 5!)
Onli was launched in Palm Beach, Florida. Within the two years since its launch, it has expanded with great gusto. In the coming months, Onli plans to become much more prevalent around Central Florida, focusing especially on Rollins and the Winter Park area. So get pumped! Within the next year, they will distribute to the entire Southeast region of the United States, then focus on Texas and New England, and by 2015 they plan to be available to most of the East and Midwest. Onli beverages are manufactured out of Pennsylvania, a location they chose for their superior quality of water. Specifically, in our local area, Onli will be sampling out their products at Whole Foods and at events such as the upcoming Latin Food and Wine Festival on Oct. 19. Also worth noting: Onli plans to launch a new limited edition flavor in November, here’s hoping it’s something seasonal!
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