The team at Remedy are on a mission. A mission to transform the drinks landscape by making beverages right without all the added horribles and terribles.
Sarah and Emmet Condon began brewing kombucha in their Melbourne kitchen over 15 years ago and took a chance by leaving their jobs to enter the food and drinks world. The duo has a vision to rid the world of the need for sugary drinks and believe that not all ‘better beverages’ are created equal. Using the original kombucha ‘mother’ culture, each bottle of Remedy is small-batch brewed over 30 days in a warm, controlled environment, using the highest quality ingredients. The result is a delicious, live-cultured kombucha that contains no sugar, naturally.
Not only does Remedy taste great by delivering a unique tangy taste profile, its traditional brewing process means it contains no sugar. The range sits comfortably in the ‘better for you’ category being a live, unpasteurised beverage that is natural with live cultures, antioxidants and healthy organic acids. Today, the brand has gone global entering US, Canadian, Asian, European and UK markets.
There is no risk of re-fermentation in Remedy Kombucha as the live culture has consumed all of the sugar in its extended fermentations prior to packaging. Sugar is consumed by the live culture and is converted to healthy organic acids. Every batch of Remedy Kombucha is tested for alcohol and sugar content, ensuring the product is of a high quality and can be safely stored out of the fridge, and will remain so throughout its shelf life.
According to consumer research undertaken by Remedy, kombucha appeals to a wide demographic and over-indexes with millennials. Two out of three millennials have tried kombucha with a third of them now drinking it regularly. However, 62 percent of these kombucha drinking millennials also consume energy drinks. Remedy's research unearthed a tension between consumers wanting to make healthy choices but also needing an energy boost. “On one hand, consumers are going with their gut and drinking kombucha but then also smashing a few energy drinks on the side. So, we decided to make it right and develop an energy drink that’s actually good for your mind, body and gut,” said Emmet Condon, co-founder.
Enter Good Energy, the world’s first kombucha-based energy drink. It offers an energy kick without any sugar or artificial ingredients which is usually found in energy drinks. “Until now, there hasn’t really been a healthy, tasty alternative to traditional energy drinks,” said Condon. “Remedy Good Energy is a market first and one we think people will jump on-board with having already been bitten by the Remedy booch bug.”
Remedy Good Energy contains all the goodness and benefits of kombucha including live cultures, organic acids and antioxidants with the added good vibes and good energy buzz of raw green coffee bean extract, green tea and ginseng for a smoother, more enduring real energy kick minus the nasties. It is available in three variants including Blackberry, Kakadu Plum and Coffee. It is made using the brand’s traditionally brewed kombucha, which starts with steeping organic green and black tea, rich in antioxidants (catechins), amino acids (theanine), vitamins and caffeine. The caffeine reduces during the long age fermentations. Green coffee bean extract is then added along with naturally energising ginseng.
The drinks category is being transformed by the rise of natural and organic energy drinks. In the US alone, energy drink sales are forecasted to rise 47 percent from 2016-2020, reaching $19.2 billion. This growth is driven by consumers’ increasing health consciousness and hectic lifestyle. Consumers are demanding drinks that have less sugar, are made with natural ingredients and offer functional benefits.
Remedy’s range also includes no-sugar sodas. These old-school favourites have been reinvented for a modern, healthier market, reclaiming traditional drinks for what they are meant to be, live-cultured, refreshing drinks made in small batches, with love, from real, natural ingredients. This range targets the soft drink consumers who are ready to make the switch as well as newbies to the fermented drinks category. They want to make healthier choices, and they want to try something new, but not too new.
The brand recently launched its Coconut Water Kefir which has been brewed to remove the sugar, leaving a fizzy, refreshing and tasty drink that is jam packed with real probiotic goodness.
So, is the Remedy range ok to be sold as ambient product and not stored in the fridge? The answer is yes. “We know that the Remedy range is a-ok in or out of the fridge because we brew out all of the sugar and our live cultures are strong, healthy and safe, meaning they not only survive but thrive in and out of the fridge,” said Deva Dhar, country manager at Remedy Drinks. “We’ve tested throughout shelf life to prove it.”
The live cultures in every beverage stay strong because of the old-school, long-aged brewing process that uses a relative of the same live culture that was used in Remedy’s very first batch. The brewing process happens in a warm environment and testing has shown the live cultures stay alive right throughout shelf life with absolutely no difference in quantity or quality whether kept in or out of the fridge.
“This is an opportunity to add to your sales, not change where you sell Remedy in store. That means keeping what you’ve got in the fridge where it is and adding the 4-packs of cans to the soft drink aisle and/or fridge. Our 330ml and 750ml glass bottles are a premium product, sold at a premium price, with a cold drink RRP, while the 250ml can 4-packs are an opportunity to run off-location displays out of the fridge.” Its new four-pack wrap includes information to explain the Remedy story and process to consumers. This includes how and why its kombucha is raw and alive, but ok out of the fridge.
“Previously we advised that Remedy must be kept refrigerated. This was until we were 100 percent sure it was ok to be stored ambient also. Although kombucha has been around for donkey’s years, as a commercial product, it is still pretty new. Shelf life advice is generally based on historical category data so we did our own testing to confirm.”
For more information and have Remedy stocked on your shelves contact Deva Dhar, country manager – NZ, on 021 245 2363 or email deva.dhar@remedydrinks.com.
