How the Romans inspired Merrick Watts’ Posca Hydrate

2025-11-19

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We’re joined this episode by Merrick Watts and Ed Stening, co-founders of Posca Hydrate, a recent start-up that takes inspiration from one of the oldest drinks in recorded history. Posca shares its name with an ancient concoction of red wine vinegar, water, salt and flavourings that was consumed by the Roman army for its hydrating properties, at a time when clean water was often hard to come by. It was Merrick, the comedian, broadcaster and wine expert, who conceived the idea of resurrecting t...

We’re joined this episode by Merrick Watts and Ed Stening, co-founders of Posca Hydrate, a recent start-up that takes inspiration from one of the oldest drinks in recorded history.

Posca shares its name with an ancient concoction of red wine vinegar, water, salt and flavourings that was consumed by the Roman army for its hydrating properties, at a time when clean water was often hard to come by.

It was Merrick, the comedian, broadcaster and wine expert, who conceived the idea of resurrecting this beverage for modern consumers.

The result is Posca Hydrate, a sparkling, sugar-free prebiotic drink that combines electrolytes and antioxidant-rich red wine vinegar to support hydration and gut health.

Merrick teamed up with Ed Stening, a marketing executive formerly of companies including Lion and Suntory, to refine the product and bring it to market.

And it's early days, but Posca looks destined for big things. They’ve assembled a crack team of advisors to join the company’s board, and achieved some impressive milestones including qualification with the ATO as an Early Stage Innovation Company, and a distribution partnership with SPC Global.

That’s all coming up in this brilliant conversation with Merrick and Ed.

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