OTB is over the moon to welcome Equinox Kombucha to the OTB community.
Booch beginnings
As with many start-ups there was a moment of discovery and inspiration when founders, Robert Charles and Daphne Charist discovered Kombucha tea in 2012 when they were backpacking in Asia. When they returned to the UK they started brewing their own.
Current MD, Daniel Spayne was the first angel investor and Co-Founder of Equinox in 2013. He himself discovered Kombucha on the West Coast of the USA in 2012 and then joined the company full time in 2016 to help manage their growing operations.
After lots of product development they started selling their brew at market stalls, with organic wholesalers and trade shows and were awarded the Best Vegan Drink at Vegfest 2014. This helped to raise their profile and it was raised further still when they were handpicked by The Grocery Accelerator for investment and mentoring in 2015 to mentor. Rob Ward, the Grocery Accelerator’s Director, was taken by Equinox Kombucha being such a fresh, young company which had managed to grow their market exponentially, answering an increase in demand for healthy, conscious and ethical drinks.
Diamonds from coal
The company had a huge setback in 2015 when their brewing and bottling plant in Hebden Bridge was completely flooded. So, they were effectively back to square one and with their positive philosophy and a tenacious, hardworking team, the business prevailed with the help from the community and investors. They went on to open a new bottling plant and refurbished and expanded their brewery in 2017 based on strong demand for their products.
Great taste listings
They have been awarded much sought-after Great Taste Awards for many of their products, with a Great Taste 2 star Award in 2016 for their Original Kombucha in 2016, and Great Taste 1 star awards in the following years for their Raspberry and Elderflower Kombucha, and Pink Grapefruit and Guava , Wild Berry and Ginger Kombucha.
2017 was also the year that they got their first supermarket listing, with Waitrose. Since then, the brand can now to be found on the shelves of Waitrose, the Co-op, Whole Foods Market to name a few as well as Albert Heijn in the Netherlands and online at Equinoxkombucha.com as well as in Abel & Cole, and Yeo Valley Café’s and Canteen. They are also sold in All Bar One and Castle Pubs along with hundreds of independent pubs, café’s, supermarkets and shops.
B Corp certification and River Cottage collab
In 2020 they launched a new River Cottage range with Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, and became a certified B-Corp. It took the team 9 months to submit and prepare for certification, and in that time they contended with a huge increase in demand, a flood in their production site and numerous Covid19 lockdowns. They are proud of their B Corp certification as it puts all stakeholders (both social and environmental) at the heart of their business. You can read more about their B Corp Journey, key future trends and plans here.
True craft
Whilst the business and production has grown, they are still using the same traditional craft brewing methods, ingredients and scobies, resulting in a great brew and unique taste.
Why Organic
Equinox Kombucha became organic certified with the Soil Association in 2013 at the outset of the company’s journey. Being organic has always been core to the company’s mission and values and was a non-negotiable part of their ethos from the start.
“We went organic because we care about people’s health and the health of our planet, it’s that simple. We know that organic farming works with nature, for nature supporting the health of wildlife, ecosystems and the humans that consume food grown in this way. We believe that every step, however small that people make towards a heathier environment and society helps, even if it’s swapping a few organic items in your shopping basket each week.” Daniel Spayne, MD Equinox Kombucha
