The Point. 1888 lines up Kombucha drinks for Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall’s River Cottage

River Cottage, the food and events business established by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, has signed a new deal to start producing its own range of Kombucha drinks in partnership with Equinox Kombucha. The deal was brokered by the UK licensing agent, The Point. 1888.

The antioxidant-rich tea based drink is commonly consumed for its wide-ranging health benefits and was marked as number one on River Cottage’s wish list of products. Under the new deal, River Cottage Organic Kombuchas will be made in partnership with Equinox, who have been making organic Kombuchas at their artisan “brewery” near Hebden Bridge in Yorkshire since 2013.

Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall’s successful food and events business brought on The Point.1888 back in February 2019 to help it generate further brand awareness and encourage the nation to eat more sustainably and ethically through the introduction of a broader range of consumer products.

These innovative products are being developed as part of River Cottage’s on-going mission to create Food to Inspire Change, and in line with its SLOW ethos of foods that are Seasonal, Local, Organic and Wild.

Since starting work with the brand, The Point.1888 has helped to secure six new partnerships for River Cottage, including an organic and eco-friendly coffee producer; one of the leading organic breweries in the UK; a bees wax plastic-free, food-safe wrap manufacturer, and an award-winning organic artisan cider producer.

This latest deal is with Equinox Kombucha, one of the UK’s fastest-growing makers of this increasingly popular traditional drink, based on brewing with live cultures known to be beneficial to a healthy gut.

Fearnley-Whittingstall, said: “I’ve been a big kombucha fan for a few years now. I think it’s a fantastic drink and I believe it’s not only helped me to maintain a diverse gut biome, but also to reduce my alcohol consumption by offering a complex and delicious alternative without a load of sugar and additives.

“I’ve been brewing my own at home and sampling almost any kombuchas being sold in the UK that I could get my hands on. But it frustrated me that so many of them are imported from abroad, and pasteurised so they are no-longer “live”. When I sampled the Equinox range I was blown away by the quality and delighted to note that it was fully organic, completely live, and being made right here in the UK.

“It’s been a fantastic experience to collaborate with Daniel and Rupert at Equinox to create a range of completely original River Cottage kombuchas, based on some of our favourite ingredients, from the Garden, Orchard, Hedgerow and Meadow.”

Louise Williamson, head of specialist brands at The Point.1888, added: “This partnership is significant, not just because it topped our client’s wish list, but also because we expect the timing of our launch should make it incredibly rewarding.

“While we continue to battle a global outbreak of Covid-19, there is a significant rise in the demand for immunity-boosting foods and beverages, particularly kombucha.”

Equinox has seen sales of its own brand of Kombucha rise significantly in retail over the last few years, something it ascribes to the rise in social awareness of gut health and the holistic health benefits of fermented living foods and drinks. With  increasing evidence that there are links between our gut health, and our mental wellbeing and immunity, kombucha is poised to sky rocket in the marketplace in the wake of Covid-19.

With the River Cottage kombucha range now in production and packaging designs being finalised, The Point.1888 and Equinox are currently holding meetings with retailers to agree where the range will be stocked. It is expected to be in stores towards the end of September.

The Point. 1888 lines up Kombucha drinks for Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall’s River Cottage

River Cottage, the food and events business established by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, has signed a new deal to start producing its own range of Kombucha drinks in partnership with Equinox Kombucha. The deal was brokered by the UK licensing agent, The Point. 1888.

The antioxidant-rich tea based drink is commonly consumed for its wide-ranging health benefits and was marked as number one on River Cottage’s wish list of products. Under the new deal, River Cottage Organic Kombuchas will be made in partnership with Equinox, who have been making organic Kombuchas at their artisan “brewery” near Hebden Bridge in Yorkshire since 2013.

Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall’s successful food and events business brought on The Point.1888 back in February 2019 to help it generate further brand awareness and encourage the nation to eat more sustainably and ethically through the introduction of a broader range of consumer products.

These innovative products are being developed as part of River Cottage’s on-going mission to create Food to Inspire Change, and in line with its SLOW ethos of foods that are Seasonal, Local, Organic and Wild.

Since starting work with the brand, The Point.1888 has helped to secure six new partnerships for River Cottage, including an organic and eco-friendly coffee producer; one of the leading organic breweries in the UK; a bees wax plastic-free, food-safe wrap manufacturer, and an award-winning organic artisan cider producer.

This latest deal is with Equinox Kombucha, one of the UK’s fastest-growing makers of this increasingly popular traditional drink, based on brewing with live cultures known to be beneficial to a healthy gut.

Fearnley-Whittingstall, said: “I’ve been a big kombucha fan for a few years now. I think it’s a fantastic drink and I believe it’s not only helped me to maintain a diverse gut biome, but also to reduce my alcohol consumption by offering a complex and delicious alternative without a load of sugar and additives.

“I’ve been brewing my own at home and sampling almost any kombuchas being sold in the UK that I could get my hands on. But it frustrated me that so many of them are imported from abroad, and pasteurised so they are no-longer “live”. When I sampled the Equinox range I was blown away by the quality and delighted to note that it was fully organic, completely live, and being made right here in the UK.

“It’s been a fantastic experience to collaborate with Daniel and Rupert at Equinox to create a range of completely original River Cottage kombuchas, based on some of our favourite ingredients, from the Garden, Orchard, Hedgerow and Meadow.”

Louise Williamson, head of specialist brands at The Point.1888, added: “This partnership is significant, not just because it topped our client’s wish list, but also because we expect the timing of our launch should make it incredibly rewarding.

“While we continue to battle a global outbreak of Covid-19, there is a significant rise in the demand for immunity-boosting foods and beverages, particularly kombucha.”

Equinox has seen sales of its own brand of Kombucha rise significantly in retail over the last few years, something it ascribes to the rise in social awareness of gut health and the holistic health benefits of fermented living foods and drinks. With  increasing evidence that there are links between our gut health, and our mental wellbeing and immunity, kombucha is poised to sky rocket in the marketplace in the wake of Covid-19.

With the River Cottage kombucha range now in production and packaging designs being finalised, The Point.1888 and Equinox are currently holding meetings with retailers to agree where the range will be stocked. It is expected to be in stores towards the end of September.

The Point. 1888 delivers sumptuous line up for food and events brand River Cottage

In a somewhat sumptuous start to the year, the brand licensing agency, The Point. 1888 has secured four new licensees for its client, River Cottage.

The successful food and events business brought on The Point.1888 last year to help it generate further brand awareness, and encourage the nation to eat seasonal, local, organic and wild food through the introduction of a broader range of consumer products.

 A task The Point. 1888 was keen to sink its teeth into, the UK licensing agency has since secured a raft of deals with Percol/Lofbergs – a company that specialises in organic, sustainably made and packaged ground coffee, Stroud Brewery – a sustainable and ethical brewery in the Cotswolds, The Beeswax Wrap Company – a company that provides planet-friendly alternatives to cling film and tin foil, and Newton Court Cider who ferments award-winning cider from English fruit.

As part of the deal with River Cottage, Stroud Brewery is collaborating on unique organic beer recipes, Newton Court Cider will be hand picking the apples from the River Cottage Estate for fermentation at their cidery, while The Beeswax Wrap Company will be making its shelf debut in the partnership.

 Louise Williamson, head of FMCG, The Point.1888, said: “Our brand licensing programme has been developed in close collaboration with River Cottage to make us think about the way we buy and consume products, and to inspire change at every stage.

“Thanks to this new wave of ethical licensees, coffee lovers, craft beer and cider drinkers and households across the country will be able to enjoy these products guilt-free, guided by principles that are ethical, sustainable and respectful.”

Stewart Dodd, chief executive from River Cottage, said: “We are thrilled with the licensees secured so far and cannot wait to see the products develop. The Point.1888 team is so thorough in their processes and has successfully identified new River Cottage products that are in line with our values and ethos.”

 Established in 2014, The Point.1888 delivers retail focused brand extension programmes through partnership licensing agreements.

The company has seen exponential growth in the last 24 months, building strategic licensing programmes for Yvonne Ellen, Team GB, Battersea, and more recently the Metropolitan Police Service.

 The first products are expected to be in stores by SS2020.