Question 1

What makes it tonic water?

Accepted Answer

Tonic water contains quinine. Quinine is an anti-malarial compound which is why we were using it, in the tropics in colonial times. Quinine is intensely bitter, and to make it more palatable, it was sweetened and aromatics were added, and to make it true medicine, drunk with gin and the famous cocktail was born. Quinine grows naturally in the bark of the cinchona tree from central America, however after the second world war supplies became difficult, and was replaced with a synthetic lab-based chemical. Modern tonics are made with that synthetic. Ours is different. We source the bark naturally from farms in Ecuador and Italy.

Question 2

Are there any preservatives?

Accepted Answer

We have no added or artificial preservatives in our tonic. The only preservative is the sugar that makes it a syrup. We use the minimum threshold to preserve our tonic. The product is bottled under heat and stored in a vacuum as well to make it a long life product prior to opening. Store in a fridge after.

Question 3

How much sugar is in the tonic?

Accepted Answer

As a syrup we must have 40% sugar in the bottle as a minimum threshold to preserve, and this will be diluted out as you add soda (or plain) water.

This is however almost half the sugar of regular tonic waters. Off the shelf tonic water is the highest sugar content of any soft drink, more than even Coca Cola! We can achieve this much lower sugar content by using natural quinine.

Question 4

What sustainability do you undertake at the markets you sell at?

Accepted Answer

We hate plastic waste. To reduce this, the little tasting cups that we use at our stall are all taken home and washed and sanitised after, to come back next week. We always reuse before recycle. Any broken cups are collected up and taken to specialised recycling.

We use reusable soda stream for our bubbly water rather than single use bottles.

When you get a bag with your product, it's biodegradable, recyclable, Australian manufactured paper.

Question 5

What sustainability do you undertake in your manufacturing?

Accepted Answer

Our goal is to work towards zero waste manufacturing. We use a lot of whole and fresh plant based materials. All of our waste products in manufacturing are composted. We also work with other manufacturers two reduce their own waste with sharing fresh ingredients to use what would otherwise be waste.

We re-use shipping packaging as much as possible as well as fully recycle what we can't. We are 98% waste free but working hard to close the last 2% gap. Sometimes this means paying more or working harder, but it's worth it.

Question 6

Do you do corporate gifts?

Accepted Answer

Yes we do! We can work with you to make the perfect corporate gifts for your staff. We have worked with organisations that want to move away from gifting alcohol to their people and this is a perfect accessible product for everyone. Contact Greg at greg@triffidtonic.com (mailto:greg@triffidtonic.com)to discuss what we can do.

Question 7

I'm allergic to quinine. Do you do quinine free versions?

Accepted Answer

We do limited edition quinine free versions so that those with allergies can enjoy our product too.

Question 8

Do you do wholesale?

Accepted Answer

Yes! We're a small start up still, but we can definitely do wholesale. Contact Greg at greg@triffidtonic.com (mailto:greg@triffidtonic.com)to find out more.

Question 9

Where do you ship?

Accepted Answer

We ship all over Australia.

We offer free shipping over $110 as well.

Question 10

Is your packaging sustainable?

Accepted Answer

We aim to be as close to zero waste as possible. Our packaging is 99% plastic free. The only plastic is the inner cap liner (wadding) that is required to ensure product longevity. We spend a bit more on high quality bottles that many people keep and reuse, as we believe recycling is great, but reusing is much better. We source our bottles from Europe. Whilst we realise there is a greater carbon footprint bringing them here, we balance that out by knowing that our products are made in a 100% carbon neutral facility, and the greater quality means there are almost no defects in the products we receive. Our experience sourcing cheaper bottles closet to home has shown that the high defect rate and questionable manufacturing practices is that it's far better to go further afield.

When we ship, all of our shipping packaging is plastic free and recyclable/biodegradable. The paper bags we use at our stall are Australian made paper.

Question 11

My item arrived damaged - what can I do?

Accepted Answer

We will replace straight away. Just take a photo of the product, and look at the bottom of the bottle for a six-digit batch number, email us at nick@triffidtonic and we'll get it to you ASAP.

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