Royal favorite Luscombe flies the flag for flavour popping drinks
Producing in small batches, the household enterprise is about in a valley on the sting of Devon’s Dartmoor National Park the place it blends an array of natural substances, from Sicilian lemons and entire root Peruvian ginger to the zesty Japanese yuzu – for an intriguing tonic, and English apples.
Granite-filtered, mineral-rich water sourced from its personal spring then completes the distinctive drinks’ vary of 14 varieties.
These embrace natural fruit juices, crushes and bubblies in addition to tonics to enhance craft spirits, mixers and a conventional cider with output now numbering some eight million servings a yr.
Output totals some eight million servings a yr with National Trust cafes, John Lewis, iconic chef Yotam Ottolenghi’s eating places and sustainable on-line grocers Abel & Cole and Riverford Organic are amongst its primarily commerce prospects.
Luscombe’s capability to double revenues inside the subsequent couple of years to £10million is greater than attainable, says founder and managing director Gabriel David.
“It sounds a lot but we can do this without any challenge to our ethics or ways of production. There are plenty of customers out there who are fanatical about flavour and wanting ethically made soft drinks – it’s a big marketplace.”
Cider making on Luscombe Farm dates again to the 12th century. But in 1997, seeing how its modern diversification into the sector was struggling, David sensed a possibility to attraction to these like him whose social life was reliant on automobiles.
Tired of lime-and-soda, they have been crying out for artistic, alcohol-free drinks.
Drawing on his time in Sicily experiencing its very good lemons and utilizing the household agency’s cider press David moved from Elderflower Bubbly to Sicilian Lemonade and onwards with Luscombe’s Hot Ginger Beer a perennial favorite and the corporate garnering tens of 90 Great Taste Awards.
“What we offered struck a chord, especially in London,” he remembers. “We have a team of 30 passionate people and serve customers across the UK and Europe.
“There are many visits to trade shows and our growers’ fruit is affected by many variables – late spring frosts damaging blossoms for example. But we never compromise on taste, look after all our suppliers and pay a fair price.”
Investment cycles have resulted in manufacturing improvements, “gentle pressing and keeping oxygen out so the flavours are preserved. Consistency in everything is what we look for year after year,” explains David.
Now the corporate goes by means of proof of idea for a canned drinks vary. “Cans are lighter, craft brewers paved the way,” he provides.
And as David additionally considers the long run, the time may very well be arising for an angel investor to affix Luscombe, “an expert in distribution in the hospitality sectors,” he says.
The firm acquired its prestigious Royal Warrant accolade in 2021 for promoting its drinks to the Royal Household for a few years and urgent apples grown on the King’s Highgrove House property.
“It’s our flag of positivity,” says David. “Better times have come.”