Success by the bottle (From Stroud News and Journal)

Success by the bottle

Bottlegreen drinks company just keeps going from strength-to-strength. From small beginnings as a local company selling soft drinks at shows, 16 years on the Woodchester-based company is now a multinational organisation selling thousands of drinks throughout the world. Reporter Sian Davies spoke to managing director Simon Speers about the company's success and its roots in the Stroud Valleys.

IN 1989 husband and wife team Kit and Shireen Morris had a dream to produce their own wine. With Kit's winemaking expertise and Shireen's background in design the couple started out with a vineyard and a cider-making operation, but to pass the time while the grapes were ready, they began to produce cordial from the abundance of locally-grown elderflowers.

The cordial was so popular at farmers' markets and shows that the couple scrapped the alcoholic drinks and concentrated on soft drinks. Simon Speers, who came to the company a few years ago, said: "Bottlegreen started on the other side of Nailsworth 16 years ago.

"In the first year it sold 6,000 bottles in and all the labels were glued on by hand - we can now run-off 6,000 bottles an hour."

In Bottlegreen's early days local people would pick elderflowers and bring them to the company in exchange for payment by the bag. Elderflowers are still supplied in that way from Thistle Down Farm in Nailsworth.

Simon said: "In the beginning local people got to know that when it was elderflower-picking season they should go to Bottlegreen."

The company now sells in Canada, Japan and Europe but all the products are still produced and bottled in Woodchester, where natural spring water from under the factory is used to create the drinks.

"We do business across the world but most is still done in the South West of England and we've not forgotten our roots," added Simon. Dubbed the 'King of Flavour', Chris Baker, also known as Bottlegreen Chris, takes the products to Stroud Farmers' Market every other week.

The first big break for Bottlegreen - which originally sold locally through shows and exhibitions - came when a buyer from Waitrose tasted the elderflower cordial at a country show.

"The next break came when Jilly Goolden mentioned the cordial on the Food and Drink show - the next day buyers from Tesco called us to talk about stocking the product," explained Simon.

Bottlegreen, which produces cordials and presss in a variety of flavours, has just diversified and launched four flavours of sorbets - which are made in conjunction with local ice-cream company Winstones.