The young entrepreneurs’ fusion juices are great taste-bud teasers

NARCOTIC it is not, but the creators of Co-Cane the drink are hoping that it will become equally addictive.

The fusion of coconut water and sugarcane juice – hence the name “Co-Cane” – made its debut on Feb 20 this year, and has been dazzling taste buds since.

While the name may just be a clever play of words, going by who are responsible for its creation, one cannot be forgiven for wondering if there is some engineering feat and mathematical principle to the blend.

The six 24-year-olds who put their heads together to bring this new drink to market are R. Rubavengadess Nair, P. Vishvek, S. Sharvin, S. Gunachandran, N. Sashven and K. Daneshwar – alumni of Methodist Boys School Kuala Lumpur and students or graduates of engineering and applied mathematics.

Co-Cane the business started out on Dec 5 last year simply as a stall to sell bottled sugarcane juice and coconut water, both of which are great thirst quenchers on a hot sunny day.

According to Daneshwar, the name “came to us in a flash”. Without a doubt it is quirky and it makes everyone double back for a second look.

The name and choices of beverages are also a way for the six friends to forge their own identity.

“We didn’t want to be just another beverage business so we came up with a variety of blends that would infuse several flavours into one drink,” he told theSun.

Apart from Co-Cane, the drinks list includes several other blends of sugarcane and fruit juices, such as the “Mango Cane”, which is a fusion of mostly mango pulp with some sugarcane juice.

Except for the coconut shake, their unique selling feature is that the juices are freshly squeezed, with no added sugar or preservatives. Only fresh fruits are used.

While the young entrepreneurs felt confident that their business was viable when they launched it in the middle of a movement control order (MCO), the prolonged restrictions on movement has nonetheless been a challenge.

Daneshwar said the MCO has taken a toll on their business.

“We would take turns doing the delivery runs but now we can’t even go out to deliver the beverages, making it even more difficult to generate some income,” he said.

As a result, he added, numerous other initiatives will now have to be put on hold.

Their stall, located in Jalan Pasar Dalam in Sentul, Kuala Lumpur, across the road from the Klinik Negara Sentul, is open from 11am to 5.30pm daily.

Customers now have several choices – each one a blend of sugarcane juice with a different fruit juice. They are sold at RM3.50 to RM7.50 a bottle depending.

To widen their customer base, Daneshwar said, they have also registered with delivery service providers such as GrabFood and foodpanda and are awaiting approval.

For all six, this is only the start. “We are in the venture on a full-time basis and we hope to grow it into something much bigger,” Daneshwar said.

Those who want to know more about Co-Cane can visit their Instagram and Facebook pages @cocanekl or contact Ruba (+6017 268 6199) Sashven (+6016 641 3542).