ø DRINKS
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Walk into any deli or farm shop worth its salt, and the drinks range will tell you almost as much about the business as the cheese counter: it will signal values, buying confidence and an understanding of customers’ habits –and how they are evolving.
In recent years, the category has come on leaps and bounds. Alongside classic fruit juices and regional ciders sit functional drinks, natural wines, RTD cocktails and skilfully brewed kombuchas. A good spirits selection speaks of provenance, while beer demonstrates successful experimentation with fermentation and time. Nowadays, soft drinks borrow techniques and marketing cues from craft beer, wellness culture and trendy cocktail bars – sometimes they even collaborate with them.
The producers featured in this supplement reflect that breadth. From established names in British fruit drinks to newer additions to the alcohol-free space, each works closely with independent retailers, and for good reason: you, more than anyone else, ‘get it’ – the hard graft, the story, the pairings. And vice versa, for retailers, the drinks category can offer dependable lines and repeat custom, as well as distinctive bottles to stop shoppers in their tracks. Differentiation matters, and a judicious approach to drinks can set you apart.
What follows is a snapshot of the businesses shaping that landscape in 2026, and of the relationships between producers and independents that can enable both to thrive.
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FOLKINGTON ,S
When it launched in 2012, Folkington’s was partly a response to growing public concern about where their food & drink came from. By bringing the concept of provenance long associated with wine into the world of soft drinks, the company wanted to create juices and mixers that were honest about where their ingredients came from, as well as tasting good.
Based in East Sussex’s South Downs National Park, Folkington’s now offers a broad range of fruit juices, sparkling drinks and mixers. The juice line includes twelve products, all sold in 250ml bottles and made with apples, pears, berries and elderflowers grown in the UK, or citrus fruits imported from Spain and Italy. While its mango juice comes from Colombia and its pineapples from Costa Rica, it always uses the same varieties from the same habitats and the same farming communities, to ensure quality, consistency and in order to build long-term relationships with its suppliers. Seven of its juices are also available in a 1L retail format, which it says are favoured by independents.
The producer recently added Guava & Dragonfruit and Peach juices to its portfolio, both of which are available in cases of 12 (WSP around £1.15, RRP roughly £2). These additions were developed with younger consumers in mind, who have shown an interest in more unusual fruit juices and combinations.
The sparkling collection includes four 250ml canned drinks and three 330ml glass bottles, with
flavour options such as English elderflower pressé, rhubarb & apple, traditional pink lemonade and traditionally hot ginger beer.
The mixers are sold in 150ml cans, and the line includes a traditional Indian tonic, a light tonic, an English Garden tonic made with cucumber, rosemary and mint and Earl Grey tonic flavoured with bergamot and a small amount of tea. These are also available in retail multipack boxes of eight. There is also a standalone 330ml Club Soda, sold in boxes of six for retail, which Folkington’s says is best served with a slice of lemon or lime as a long non-alcoholic drink.
The producer says it is guided by a minimalistic ethos, with all drinks made without artificial sweeteners, preservatives or concentrates, and with deliberately short ingredient lists. It claims that its long-standing relationships with growers ensure the quality of its ingredients and help support sustainable farming communities, rather than sourcing fruit opportunistically on price.
With a view to environmental responsibility across its operations, it has been independently certified as carbon neutral for the past four years and, as of August 2025, is also B Corp certified.
While Folkington’s supplies national retailers and foodservice outlets, independent retail, cafés and garden centres make up the core of its market, and continues to grow for the brand every year.
The company believes there is an overlap between shoppers in independents who are now drinking less alcohol, and that it is best placed to support the sector with innovative products.
It works with wholesalers including Holley’s, Cress, Cotswold Fayre, Auguste Noel and Shire Foods to supply indie retailers. folkingtons.com
Beekeper Claire Tolley founded Cridling in 2020, as she was unfortunate enough to develop serious health issues during the pandemic, when specialist services were very limited. She began learning about gut health and the virtues of kombucha, so set about brewing her own. A turning point came for her when she started adding honey from her hives. One thing led to another, and before she knew it she was making it on request for family and friends. Spurred on by her experience, and anecdotal health
improvements, she decided to turn it into a business. It has remained naturally fermented, so as to preserve the live lactic acid bacteria, acetic acid, polyphenols, B vitamins and electrolytes in it, with two main lines.
A Traditionally Brewed Range, comprised of six flavours: Raw-Unfiltered, Rhubarb & Ginger, Pear & Elderflower, Apple & Blackberry, Lemon & Lime and Mixed Berries, which, as all kombuchas do ferment some sugar into alcohol, clocks in at 0.5% ABV. In
contrast, the premium honey range – which includes a Lemon & Ginger, Pure Raspberry, True Blueberry and Dark Fruits flavours – has an ABV of 1%, or ¼ unit of alcohol per 250ml can, because the honey drives additional conversion of sugar into alcohol. WSP £1.80£2.20 + VAT depending on order size, sold. In cases of 24 with a minimum of two cases per order. RRP £3.50-£3.95. cridling.co.uk
Cridling Kombucha
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Suffolk-based James White Drinks dates back to 1989, when founder Lawrence Mallison set out to make a range of delicious drinks using carefully sourced ingredients and traditional production methods.
Widely known are its Big Tom and Beet It juices, which sit alongside the producer’s Classics, Organics and Refreshers ranges. With health and provenance-conscious
JAMES WHITE DRINKS
customers in mind, it is set to introduce Zinger daily shots, a four-strong range of certified organic, functional fruit and botanical juices. First is Ginger Guard, designed for immune support and said to deliver a fiery character with real depth of flavour; Turmeric Revive, which combines organic apple and turmeric with guava, acerola and black pepper; Green Uplift, a blend of organic apple and lemon with functional mushrooms. and orange with beetroot and Lion’s Mane mushroom, a source of B12, which is thought to contribute to normal psychological function. Whereas other ’daily shot’ products aren’t entirely organic, this range is. It offers more occasions than the classic morning shot – touted for creative breaks, afternoon rests or calming rituals. While they have an elevated look and feel, the idea is that they are accessible and easy to integrate into daily life. Sold in 70ml PET bottles in cases of 12. The RRP is roughly £2.10-£2.25. James White Drinks works with CLF, Suma, Infinity Foods, Cotswold Fayre among others, as well as supplying retailers directly.
jameswhite.co.uk
RINGDEN FARM
8,000 APPLES A DAY Ringden Farm
Athird-generation family business in the Kent and Sussex Weald, Ringden Farm started selling apples and pears in the 1960s. It wasn’t until the 1990s, when a hailstorm damaged fruit too badly for it to be sold as it was, that it began producing juice. Its range is now expansive, spanning classic single-variety apple juices and mixed juices such as pear & apple or plum & apple (using fruit grown on site); other mixed juices like raspberry & apple and mango & apple;
and sparkling drinks such as apple & ginger; apple & peach and elderflower & apple. The producer also makes raw apple cider vinegar and a range of jams, marmalades, jellies, relishes and pickles.
Large apple and mixed juices retail for £3.50 per 750ml bottle; small mixed juices and sparkling fruit juices come in 330ml bottles and cans, respectively, at £9 RRP per case of six.
A 500ml bottle of raw apple cider vinegar retails for £2.75. The condiments are sold in 227g jars for £2.90 RRP, while the jams and marmalades have a retail price of £3.70.
Ringden Farm has won many Great Taste
awards over the years, including for its Discovery, Russet and Red Pippin apple juices.
Although its production capacity is much higher than it once was – it used to make 1,000 litres in a year, and can now make up to 8,000 litres a day – it still uses traditional pressing and slow pasteurisation to maintain freshness and flavour.
As well as selling its products at markets, including Chiswick, Kew Village and Guildford farmers’ markets, stockists include Groombridge Farm Shop; Fittleworth Stores; Beneden’s Community Shop and Kingfisher Farm & Flower Shop.
ringdenfarm.co.uk
Based in Conway, North Wales, Blighty Booch has big ambitions: it wants to be the best kombucha producer in the UK, by proving that craft fermentation and functional drinks can be commercially successful.
Founders Alana Tyson and Mark Povey, both artists, discovered the virtues of kombucha as a health-promoting beverage after Povey had a personal health issue while touring
in Canada. They founded the company in 2018, deciding that if they were to make their own, they wouldn’t take any shortcuts: it would be brewed slowly, and it would not be pasteurised – it would be a living tea with cultures and naturally ocurring enzymes intact, full of probiotics and cleansing acids sought out by kombucha drinkers. The organic, vegan producer sources tea from Hunan in China, to make a permanent range of five kombuchas: Organic Original, Organic Ginger, which was nominated for a Golden Fork back in 2020 and awarded two stars in Great Taste 2023; Nettle & Rosehip, described as herbaceous and subtly fruity; the sweet-tart Cherry; and floral, tart and quintessentially British Bramley Elderflower. This is brewed with a blend of Oolong and black tea, and is positioned as an excellent afternoon refreshment and as an alcohol-free alternative to sparkling wine for celebrations. All of them are sold in 330ml bottles, with a wholesale price of £1.95/bottle (RRP £3.50). 12 bottles/case.
As well as success in Great Taste, Blighty Booch was named Artisan Business of the Year in the 2023 Welsh Food and Drink Awards. It is available via CLF, Castell Howell, Blas ar Fwyd, with current stockists including Kindly Brighton, Hawarden Estate Farm Shop, Natural Choice, Beanfreaks, Medina, Gloucester and Tebay Services. It is intent on sticking to the independent route, as it says it has no intention of cutting corners to meet supermarkets’
parameters. “An artisan-produced kombucha requires specialist stockists, who know that their customers demand the finest quality and can stand behind this choice,” it says. blightybooch.com
Award Winning Kombucha
OUR BREWERY
Once a home brewing and microdistillery equipment business, Randalstown, Northern Ireland-based Get ’Er Brewed began producing its own beers in 2021, launching the Our Brewery brand. In doing so, founders Deborah and Jonathan Mitchell and their team set out to use the finest possible ingredients, steering clear of chemical clarification and experimenting with mixed and spontaneous fermentation to create unique, technically accomplished beers. The brewery’s mantra is to operate with creative freedom supported by technical discipline, measuring and recording each stage to ensure quality and consistency. It offers a range of canned craft
beers designed to highlight hop character and balance, alongside barrel-aged and mixed fermentation releases in 375ml and 750ml Champagne-style bottles, aged in oak foeders for up to 27 months to develop character and complexity through slow maturation. The approach has paid off in the form of numerous awards: last year it became one of the most decorated independent breweries in the UK and Ireland, securing 12 World Beer Awards and 11 Great Taste awards, including three 3-star winners and two Golden Fork nominations. The 8% Low Land Oud Bruin was named World’s Best Oud Bruin at the World Beer Awards
and is matured in ex-Bordeaux casks before secondary fermentation in bottle, delivering sweet malt richness and refined acidity (RRP £8/365ml), while the 7.5% Untamed Wild Ale undergoes spontaneous fermentation and bottle conditioning for a bright, dry and layered finish (RRP £12.95/750ml). While high-end on-trade and D2C form part of the business’ growth strategy, it sees independents, with their storytelling power, as central to getting its beers into more hands across the UK, Ireland and Europe.
ourbrewerygeb.com
Bradford-on-Avon, Wiltshire-based Ripe Wines founders Daniel Sibley and Alma Abeleira met in Brazil in 2023. Sharing a fondness for wine, together they visited a winery in Argentina favoured by Abeleira’s father, which would become their production partner.
Launched in 2024, the Ripe Wines brand celebrates Hebe, the Greek goddess and
cupbearer to the gods; the Andean condor, a revered symbol of Argentina’s Mendoza region; and the Aconcagua Mountain, the backdrop to the vineyards where the grapes
The company sells three lines of Malbec called ’El Consuelo’, which roughly translates as ’The Comfort’ or ’The Consolation’, a young vintage from 2024, described as light and fruity and easy-drinking; Malbec Reserva
2022, which it says is more detailed, deep and oaked; and Gran Blend 2021, which combines Malbec with Syrah and Petit Verdot, which is described as elegant, versatile and luxurious. Pricing is dependent on quantity, with all wines sold in cases of six.
While Ripe Wines is predominantly selling on-trade in the South West, it is now set to expand further into the off-trade, namely in delis and farm shops, and to launch a range of white wines. instagram.com/ripeswinesltd
WhatsApp: +447438436082
Email: ripewines@gmail.com
Instagram: @ripewinesltd
ROOT2GINGER
Rcold, or used as a cocktail ingredient.
A 200ml bottle (RRP £18) makes about 10 drinks, while a 500ml bottle (RRP £34), makes 25. A new trio of 50ml bottles has an RRP of £20.
The drinks are made in small batches, with fresh ginger juiced to ensure maximum flavour and nutrient retention.
oot2Ginger founder Deanne Blake had a career in children’s services and policy before she started selling her fresh ginger drinks in 2021, which she had been making for 25 years, gifting them to family and friends. When she decided to launch the business, she developed a commercial recipe using organic ingredients. Coldpressed Peruvian ginger, raw cane sugar and Sicilian lemons make up the flagship Fiery drink; the Spiced is infused with Ceylon cinnamon, green cardamom, star anise and pimento. There is also a Mint version, and the Sorrel, otherwise known as hibiscus flower, which also includes pimento. All are designed to be diluted with water, still or sparkling, hot or
Blake’s meticulous approach has paid off with a number of awards and coveted stockists. Fiery was granted 3-star status in Great Taste 2024, while Sorrel received a 2-star award.
Root2Ginger is stocked by many independents, Fortnum & Mason, and is available via Organic North Wholesale. root2ginger.co.uk
With alcohol consumption in decline and moderate drinking on the rise, ex-wine trade professionals David Hodgson and Will Willis spent three years doing research and development into de-alcoholising wine in a way that preserves texture, flavour and aromatics, before launching ZENO in 2022. Working with a single-estate winemaker in
Spain, they have developed a range of foodfriendly, vegan “alcohol-liberated” wines with low residual sugar, using low temperature, high vacuum distillation and blending.
The Still range features a Viura white, Bobal Rosé and the brand’s flagship TempranilloCabernet red, which is a 2-star Great Taste award-winner (RRP £10.99 per 750ml bottle). The Sparkling range includes a NV White and a NV Rosé, both of which have an RRP of £12.99.
with an RRP of £5.99 a can.
The idea behind ZENO, the founders are intent on stressing, is not to preach abstinence but to offer wine lovers an opportunity to enjoy a glass without the alcohol, whatever the reason. As well as enjoying success in Great Taste, the company’s accolades include the World Alcohol-Free Awards, The Drinks Business Spring Tasting, recognition in the London Wine Competition, The Global Low and No Alcohol Wine Masters, Which? Best Buy and IWSC among others.
Stockists include Waitrose and Ocado, as well as a long list of independent and speciality food & drink retailers. With a broad focus across the on- and off-trade, ZENO believes independents are well placed to align with its focus on quality and provenance. zenowine.com
Viura 2023 Red 2023 Sparkling NV. Sparkling Rosé NV.
Red White Red Sparkling NV.
Dunnet Bay Distillers was founded in 2014 by husband-and-wife team Martin and Claire Murray in Caithness, on the north coast of Scotland. They set out to build a sustainable distillery within the community of their hometown, drawing on the Highlands’ whisky-making heritage. With gin in peak demand, however, they decided to make this their first spirit, making use of the abundance of local wild botanicals to give it unique characteristics – and thus their flagship Rock Rose gin (RRP £38) was born. The name stems from the use of Rhodiola Rosea, which lends it a distinctive floral aroma. Along with the Original – described as floral and fresh, with a zesty, berry-full palate and a long, smooth finish – the range also includes a 57% Navy Strength Gin (RRP £47), which delivers strong, warm pine and lemon sherbet on the nose, a palate of very bold berries from the blaeberries, rowan and hawthorn and a deep, earthy finish. The Pink Grapefruit Old Tom Gin has a slightly sweeter character, achieved with the addition of muscovado sugar, balanced by the bright, zesty grapefruit peel and complemented by notes of vanilla. The Smoked Orange variant has subtle pine notes from the Lapsang Souchong tea, joining sweet, candied orange, with a long finish aided by lemon verbena and tangerine sage. A Citrus Coastal Edition, originally launched as a limited run but distilled with foraged kelp from Shore Seaweed and liquorice salt from Hebridean Mustard Company. The producer also rotates a collection of limited editions (RRP £42) – one for each season.
But it’s not all gin: the distillery’s Holy Grass Vodka (RRP £38) is a 41.5% spirit using the local, sweet-scented bison grass, as well as Scottish apple juice vapour. It describes it as a delicate and fresh vodka with a creamy smooth finish and a hint of vanilla. A Rioja cask-aged edition is said to have integrated blackcurrant,
cherry and creamy vanilla notes, with a hint of spice on the finish. The Apple edition has the apple notes in the Original, but ramped up, for an additional tart, fresh essence of the fruit.
Then followed the producer’s Mapmaker’s Rum, a coastal spiced rum blending twice-distilled spirit with Caribbean rum and a blend of aromatics including lemon verbena, scurvy grass, sea kelp and Blackthorn Sea Salt.
Finally, it is set to introduce Stannergill Whisky, following a £5.9 million investment to restore the twocenturies-old Castletown Mill, at the west end of Dunnet Bay. Established as a restaurant and shop late last year, it will produce its single malt Scotch whisky here, too.
As well as IWSC, The Grocer Drink Awards and the World Gin Awards, the distillery has received several tourism awards, as well as recognition for its sustainable endeavours, which include the use of renewable energy, responsible foraging and recyclable refill pouches.
The producer works with a number of UK wholesalers, including Select Drams, Base Spirits, Sutherland Brothers, JW Gray and Williamsons, and is keen to engage further with independent retailers through instore tastings and team training. dunnetbaydistillers.co.uk
DUNNET BAY DISTILLERS
