Alex Wright was working at Cawston Press in 2016 when he and co-founder Jack Scott spotted a gap in the UK market for canned, sugar-free flavoured water. Seltzer was booming in the US but had yet to break through in Britain. They built Dash Water using "wonky" fruit and veg rejected by supermarkets, originally sourcing from Scott's family farm in Shropshire.

The early days were bumpy. Their first trial batch got contaminated, wasting thousands of pounds. However, Dash sold out of its debut cases within months and soon secured investment from the founders of Sipsmith and Beavertown. The company has raised £17mn to date.

Now stocked in more than 12 countries, Dash sells millions of cans monthly. Revenues last year reached £22.5mn, with the UK entity narrowly hitting profitability for the first time. Group-level profitability is forecast for this tax year.

Wright's entrepreneurial streak began early — at school he sold drinks to peers at high margins. A chance encounter at a wine shop during his gap year led to work experience at Ocado, which later became Dash's first major retailer.