The High’s and Low’s of running a start up in the age of…

I suppose it didn’t come by *much* surprise that for this January (and for the foreseeable) we would be chained to our houses again. And we’ve been here before...

Personally; I’ve certainly found this lockdown an easier transition (probably because of all the mental strength training 2020 forced upon us). 

Professionally; the team has adapted effortlessly back to the virtual world of communicating. Our morning team call continues as per March 2020: Chris at the brewery, Michael in his downstairs chair, and Helen with her camera off (that ruddy Wi-Fi!).

This month:

• Banana bread, sourdough, kombucha: which relationship will make it? 
• Dry January 
• The Little Lockdown Things

Banana bread, sourdough, kombucha: which relationship will make it? 

With everyone at home, it seems distraction in the kitchen continues. But this time, banana bread and sourdough is ‘so 2020’.

We’ve been overwhelmed with the amount of homebrew kombucha kit orders. To think that we now sell kombucha AND teach people how to make their own sounds counter-intuitive.

But, for us, bringing the genuine craft of kombucha fermentation into the home gives our customers their own true understanding of what ‘real’ kombucha tastes like, and the genuinely complex (and fun!) process that goes into making it. Much more rewarding drinking orange juice when you’ve tried to squeeze your own oranges - I believe.

So, which lockdown relationship will make it?

It does seem that our relationship with banana bread was only a fling. The sourdough crew I don’t think are that faithful either, and it’s very clear to us - they’re all cheating on their sourdough starter with their new kombucha SCOBY. I guess time will tell who endures, we’re punting for kombucha of course...

Dry January

It’s with hesitancy that I dedicate a whole bullet to Dry January. You’re probably a bit numb to the phrase (along with the word Veganuary). But - I must confess - I too, jumped on the bandwagon. And I'm so glad I did… what better month to spend off the booze than with global anxiety at it’s all time high and a slightly overcooked December period?

I’ve loved it. I feel energised and clear headed 7 days a week, sleep well and there have been no ‘Sunday scaries’. 

I also appreciate kombucha now more than ever as an alcohol alternative - nothing quite hits the spot for me like a bit of fermented funk (but without the booze). But the best part is that kombucha is bubbling with all sorts of goodness too - so I get my evening ‘serve’ and some probiotics, polyphenols and antioxidants in one sitting - jackpot. It’s also delicious mixed up in a non-alc cocktail (or an easy serve with Seedlip).

That said, I’m without doubt looking forward to a nice G+T next weekend, and I’ll be starting with the Declaration Gin that’s just arrived (Thanks Rachael)!

The Little Lockdown things..

A few things other random things I enjoyed through Jan:

1. The Savourists Sea Shanty - thought this was brilliant and definitely perked up my day.
2. I’ve started taking Heights and joining the brain care revolution (Thanks Dan and co)
3. The coffee ritual - anyone else find this sacred? Enjoying Redemption Roasters - the first ‘prison-based coffee roasters’ at the moment and experimenting with my “cool kid” Aeropress.
4. BBC One: “The Truth About Your Mental Health” - a fascinating watch linking the importance of mental health to probiotics (amongst other things!)...  I wrote it about here.

We’ve got some exciting things happening next month for Fix8 - watch this space (especially if you’re one of the homebrew crew!). 

That’s it for January. Thanks for reading if you got this far... I’d love to hear your feedback!

Until Feb,
Freya x