Do a day on the stall and you spot it fast. People pick up a can, flip it over, and start hunting. Not for what's in it. For what I've left out.
The first one's always the same. "No artificial sweeteners in this, aye?" It's not a question. It's a warning shot. And on that one, everybody agrees. In two years nobody has ever picked up a can and wished it had more sweetener in it. Might be the only thing this entire country has ever agreed on.
Nobody reads the label out of curiosity. They read it out of fear.
After the sweetener question, the rest turns up in the same order every time. Is it natural. How much sugar. Vegan? Gluten free? Calories? They rattle through it like a checklist, because it is one. They've been mugged off enough times to know the routine.
And that's the bit that gets me. Nobody's reading the back to see what's in it. They're reading it to catch me lying. They walk up already expecting to be disappointed. Reading the ingredients stopped being nosy and turned into self-defence. That's what the big lot have done to people. Trained a whole country to assume the worst before they've even had a sip.
Fine. I'll make the kombucha you don't have to check.
That's the whole job. A drink you can pick up, trust, and put your glasses back in your pocket. No small print. No nasty surprise three lines down. Tea, hops, fruit, time. Less sugar, no artificial sweeteners, vegan, gluten free, 39 calories a can. Nothing you need to Google.
It's the same story whether you grab the tropical Hopical Punch or the sharp, citrus-loaded Lemondrop. All the flavour comes from the hops. None of it comes from a lab.
I didn't do that to chase a trend. I did it because the other way is just lying to people, and I can't be bothered lying to people.
Now the whole market's wandered over to where I've been standing
Will I admit it's nice? Aye, obviously. Turns out the questions at the stall aren't in my head. Across the shelf, "just tell me what's really in it" has gone from a niche worry to the main event. Everyone wants the fake stuff out and the real stuff in, and they want it loud. I didn't jump on that. I just never jumped off it.
We're not a health and wellness brand. Say it again.
Never have been. I don't do lifestyles and I'm not here to fix you. I make a good drink.
But if no artificial sweeteners, real ingredients, less sugar, vegan, gluten free and 39 calories a can is enough to get me filed next to the functional drinks, just because I turned out better than most of the stuff sat beside me on the shelf...
that's not a me problem. That's a shelf problem.
Some people call it wellness.
If you want to make your own mind up, the Variety Pack has all four flavours in it. Read the back all you like.
Chris
Questions we actually get asked
Does Life Blood kombucha have artificial sweeteners in it?
No. None. It never has. The flavour comes from the hops and the fruit, not from artificial sweeteners.
How much sugar is in it?
Less than most mainstream soft drinks, and what's there is real, not faked with sweeteners. Every can is 39 calories.
Is Life Blood vegan and gluten free?
Yes. Every flavour is vegan and gluten free.
Is it alcohol free?
Yes. It's an alcohol-free kombucha, brewed to be a soft drink you can have any time.
Where is it made?
Aberdeen, Scotland. Brewed by us, from scratch.
