When a beverage becomes part of our everyday routine, we think there is more to consider than just calories. What goes into it, how it is made, and how it tastes matter too.

“Oh, that has very few calories. I prefer that.”

We hear this quite often.

And we understand why. Calories matter. Sugar matters. But when something becomes part of our everyday routine, we think there is a little more to consider.

For us, making a Kombucha or Soda Pop is about more than simply putting as few calories as possible into a bottle.

Our approach to Kombucha sweeteners

We choose not to use stevia, erythritol or other alternative sweeteners in our Kombucha and Soda Pops.

This isn’t because we believe that every alternative sweetener is inherently harmful, or that sugar is somehow a health food. Alternative sweeteners can have a useful role, particularly when reducing sugar or calorie intake is an important priority.

Our thinking is simply different.

We make these drinks hoping they will become something people enjoy as part of their regular lives. So rather than making a drink very sweet and then finding ways to remove or replace that sweetness, we prefer to start with ingredients that bring their own flavour and character.

Fermented tea can be pleasantly tart. Fruit can bring its own sweetness and acidity. Spices, herbs and botanicals can add layers of flavour. Fermentation itself creates complexity that doesn’t need to be hidden behind sweetness.

We would rather work with all of these characteristics than make sweetness the starting point of the drink.

We don’t think “low calorie” automatically means “better”

A lower-calorie beverage can certainly be a useful choice. But calories are only one part of the picture.

For a drink that someone may have regularly, we also think about the ingredients, the level of sweetness and the flavour. We think about how it is made, too—and whether the finished drink feels like something worth drinking in its own right.

We also think about our palate.

When we’re used to beverages being intensely sweet, flavours like tartness, acidity, bitterness and spice can take a little more getting used to. We like the idea that a regular drink can be refreshing and interesting without having to taste like a soft drink.

A different idea of an everyday beverage

This is why our Kombucha and Soda Pops aren’t designed around the question:

“How can we make this as sweet as possible with as few calories as possible?”

We ask a different question:

“What is the best beverage we can make from good ingredients?”

Sometimes that means accepting a little natural sugar. At other times, we allow a little more tartness. A flavour may even be less immediately familiar, but become more enjoyable as your palate gets used to it.

We don’t see this as a better choice for everyone. It is simply our choice about what we want to make.

We believe food and drinks can be enjoyed for more than their nutrition labels. They can have flavour, character, craft and ingredients that you recognise.

And when something is likely to become part of your everyday life, we think what you put into it deserves as much thought as what you take out of it.

That’s our approach to sweetness.

Not simply fewer calories.

Just thoughtful ingredients, thoughtful making, balanced flavour—and drinks we are proud to make and enjoy.