ADULT DRINKING


alternative to my beloved wines that I had given up relatively recently. I took some culture home and began a passionate exploration of what could be achieved with a pure, unadulterated fermentation from exquisite fine teas, thinking along the same lines as a Pet Nat or Col Fondo natural sparkling wine. And what I discovered was that, with the right care and attention, you could get the same breadth and refinement of flavour with the fermentation of tea as you could with any grape. But it took us almost two years of development to get there.


The upper-end of the restaurant market got it quickly and within two years we were already served in around 60 Michelin-starred restaurants. It took somewhat longer, but many of the casual dining and pub groups have proved themselves to be real innovators, understanding that their adult customers were no longer drinking in the same way as before and were demanding something of equal quality in their non-alcoholic options. Retail has followed closely behind. Back in 2017, for us to be listed in the major multiples would have meant being placed on the soft drinks aisle. But now, almost all the leading retailers have a no-lo section in their stores, are expanding their selections and are seeing strong growth in sales. Finally, there is a growing offer of high-quality, non-alcoholic drinks that are produced and served with the same care and attention as their alcoholic


24 | Beverage Essentials Handbook


cousins. If you step into our brewery, we look just like a sparkling-wine maker. Each year, we sit down to sample 50 or more different exquisite teas from our producers in order to select the exact picks that will produce our quality product. And we bottle and serve with the same ceremony as Champagne.


The future


It is going to be very interesting to see how consumer behaviours evolve as we come out of lockdown. Most evidence is anecdotal at this stage, but it does seem to support the notion that consumers will continue to reduce their dependence on alcohol. While there are clearly many who drank substantially more alcohol during lockdown – home-working, furlough and just general boredom perhaps taking their toll – there is more evidence that an increasing number of consumers are now leaning the other way. Many of us have used the previous commuting time to do more exercise or perhaps explore the garden and do more cooking at home. We hear more frequently about newly-acquired sourdough starters taking up vast space in our friends’ fridges. And I believe an increasing number of people are realising the negative impact that alcohol consumption can have on both our physical and mental health at a time when we need to keep a clear head and a healthy body. In these rapidly changing times, ‘that’ll do’ is never enough. ●


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64