A year ago, Cam McDonald and Daniel Bartek were Dalhousie University students enrolled in the Starting Lean course. Yesterday, they announced their company Sage Mixology has signed a distribution deal with the biggest liquor purveyor in the world.

The speed with which Sage – whose third founder is Bobby Besant – is bringing its product to Liquor Control Board of Ontario outlets says plenty about the drive of its young team and their execution of a great idea.

Sage is dedicated to revolutionizing the ready-to-drink (RTD) alcoholic beverage market, the pre-mixed fruity drinks you can buy off the shelf in liquor stores. Drinks that are mixed in a single container then sit on a shelf for extended periods are sugary and full of preservatives, produce bad hangovers and often taste awful. 

Sage’s solution is a patent-protected bottle-within-a-bottle technology that separates the alcohol and mix until they are poured.  Sage is an all-natural cocktail with no preservatives, a better taste and a reduction in unpleasant after-effects.

Sage Mixology said Tuesday it had signed a distribution deal with LCBO to sell the product at 250 outlets in April. That means Ontarians can be enjoying the vodka-based drink just as RTD sales ramp up for summer. It is the biggest liquor company in the world and it’s rare for a small company to get shelf-space in its stores.

“At Sage, we’re dedicated to improving the enjoyment of ready-to-drink beverages, and we’re thrilled that our product will be available in Ontario for in the summer of 2014,” CEO Cam McDonald said in a statement. “The fact that the largest liquor distributor in the world understands the potential of our product is a huge boost for our company.”

The company hopes that Sage will be available in Nova Scotia before too long.

In the interest of disclosure, I should say I helped this team a bit with its publicity after being asked to do so by Next 36, the Toronto-based mentorship program that McDonald and Bartek attended last summer. I was happy to do it because they’re such impressive entrepreneurs.

Their efficiency in executing on the Sage Mixology idea speaks for itself. But McDonald, Bartek and co-founder Zach Levy have also developed Purchext, a mobile and internet app that lets parents control their children’s spending. They’ve secured a distribution deal with a Canadian bank for the app.

Consider that for a second: in a time when all startups cherish traction, these guys who were student entrepreneurs eight months ago have landed deals with the world’s biggest liquor seller and a national bank.

The team is now raising financing for Sage Mixology through private individuals and developing a corporate structure. Halifax businessmen Tom Hickey, Founder of Atlantic Road Construction & Paving, and Frontline Asphalt, and Paul LeBlanc, CEO of Extreme Group and Karma Gaming, have joined the board.