Less than 7 Ingredients: The Return to Simplicity in Craft Beverages
Walk down any grocery aisle and you’ll see it, shelves full of “all-natural” sodas whose labels read more like science experiments than something you’d actually want to drink. Ingredients like “natural flavors,” “preservatives,” and “color added” dominate the fine print. Somewhere along the way, “natural” stopped meaning natural!
At Devil’s Foot Beverage, we decided to take a different path back to simplicity. Every soda we make has less than seven real ingredients, sourced as close to home as possible. No shortcuts. No mystery chemicals. No filler flavors. Just fruit, water, a touch of sweetness, and a whole lot of intention.
Why We Started
Devil’s Foot was born out of a frustration with what the soda aisle had become, flashy labels masking lab-made flavor. We wanted something better for ourselves, our families, and our community, a beverage that was refreshing and real. So we went back to the basics, using whole fruit, not just the juice, but the zest, pulp, and rind, paired with organic cane sugar just enough to complement rather than overwhelm. By using the whole fruit, we capture every ounce of authentic flavor while reducing waste and transforming what others might throw out into something delicious. It’s a reflection of how sustainability and good taste can truly coexist.
How We Build Flavor (Without the Lab)
When you use real lemons, you don’t need lemon flavoring. When you blend fresh ginger root, there’s no need for artificial enhancers. Our short ingredient lists aren’t a limitation—they’re a declaration. Real ingredients don’t need a extras.
Here’s what goes into every can:
- Whole fruit from local farms — the kind you’d find at a farmers market, not a flavor compound from a factory
- Carbonated water — clean, simple, essential
- Organic cane sugar — just enough to balance tartness without overwhelming your palate
- Nothing else — no preservatives, no “natural flavors,” no ingredients you can’t pronounce
This approach does more than simplify our labels. By working with local growers, we reduce food waste, support family farms, and keep our environmental footprint small. Transparency isn’t just a buzzword for us, if it says “strawberry,” it came from a real strawberry.
What Simple Actually Tastes Like
The difference hits you on the first sip. There’s a brightness, a complexity that comes from real fruit, the subtle bitterness of lemon pith, the warmth of fresh ginger, the natural sweetness of crushed blackberries. No chemical aftertaste. No artificial sweetness that lingers too long. Just clean, crisp flavor that tastes like what it actually is.
Our customers tell us they can taste the difference immediately! One regular at our taproom described it as “remembering what soda used to taste like before everything got weird.” Another said our Mango soda reminded her of the fresh mango she enjoyed when she was little, high praise for a canned beverage.
That’s the power of simplicity. When you strip away the excess, what’s left is the good stuff: real flavor from real fruit, lower sugar without sacrificing taste, and clean, transparent ingredients you actually recognize.
Setting a New Standard for “Craft”
Just like the craft beer revolution reshaped what beer could be, the craft soda movement is redefining what beverage means. But we believe the word “craft” should stand for more than clever branding. It should mean:
Transparency: Not hiding behind fancy labels or gimmicks. The ingredients on the label are the only things we put in it.
Sustainability: Local sourcing, whole-fruit utilization, minimal waste.
Integrity: Making drinks we’d be proud to serve to our own family and friends.
This isn’t about nostalgia for a simpler time—it’s about building a better future for how we eat, drink, and live. Because choosing a soda shouldn’t feel like reading a science experiment.
Simple Means Better
At Devil’s Foot, “less than seven ingredients” isn’t a tagline it’s a philosophy. One rooted in trust, craft, and community.
Every can is a small act of care from the farmers who grow our fruit, to the team who brews it, to the people who share it around the table. We’re not chasing trends or hiding behind buzzwords. We’re bringing soda back to its roots real ingredients, real people, real flavor.
Because simple doesn’t mean boring. Simple means better.