duncan o'brien Dalston

What was your first job? Aged 14 - general dogsbody at a corporate entertainment company in the middle of nowhere in Scotland. 

What’s been your worst job interview? One for a tech company currently enmeshed in a multibillion-dollar fraud case. Antagonistic questions from the CEO, presumably to see how I could think under pressure, while I sweated and stammered. Awful.

What was the first music single you bought? Quite possibly Dr Dre - The Next Episode.

How do you describe your job to your mates? A magic carpet ride. Also the magic carpet is on fire.

What is the most rewarding part of your job? Meeting and talking to the people with all the knowledge! Along the whole journey of building Dalston’s Soda Co, people in the food and drink industry have been extremely generous with their time and knowledge.

What is the least rewarding part? When you get stretched in too many directions to feel like you’re doing a good job of any of them.

What is your motto in life? Somewhere between ‘work hard and be thankful’.

If you were allowed one dream perk, what would it be? A magic wand - just imagine being able to point at tasks and say ‘done’, ‘done’, ‘done’…

Do you have any phobias? Unsafe heights.

If you could change one thing in grocery, what would it be? The lack of basic nutritional content information on alcohol packaging.

What luxury would you have on a desert island? The British Library.

What animal reflects your personality? Ostrich - excel at sticking my head in the sand, can run surprisingly fast but a bit ridiculous-looking when startled, totally flightless.

What’s your favourite film and why? The Fifth Element - complete lose-yourself colourful fantasy adventure.

What has been the most embarrassing moment in your life? Please, it doesn’t bear repeating!

Which celebrity would you most like to work with and why? Dizzee Rascal - one highly influential and highly lovable gent.

What would your death row meal be? Something with a saw, a lockpick, and a really good disguise in it… calzone?