Drinks brand Soda Folk will pioneer a new range of American craft sodas in the UK with the launch of its new “fiery” root beer and “lusciously sweet” cream soda.
The two initial offerings – packaged in 330ml cans with a recommended retail price of £1.40 each – have already secured listings with Selfridges, diner chain Byron and distributor Booker, among others. Both variants are made using carbonated water, pure cane sugar and vanilla extract; the fiery root beer also contains pure maple syrup.
The brand was founded by Colorado native Ken Graham, who, when he moved to London from the US, found himself homesick for Coloradan root beer. Add to the mix a Food Standards Agency (FSA) crackdown on beverages with excessive additives, which blocked a number of brands of imported root beer, and the opportunity presented itself for a range of drinks that were free from artificial ingredients.
Using the Rocky Mountain craft breweries in his home state as inspiration, Graham created Soda Folk’s modern-classic recipes using only the highest quality ingredients that he could source, ensuring a great-tasting refreshment every time.
Soda Folk founder Ken Graham said: “When I moved to London from America, I knew I’d miss a few things about my native land: family, friends, the Rocky Mountains, baseball, and of course, root beer. Growing up in Colorado, I was obsessed with root beer, our supermarket shelves were stocked with dozens of locally brewed varieties, and I drank as much of it as my parents would allow. I knew I wouldn’t be able to give up on root beer, even if I was nearly 5,000 miles from home, so I started Soda Folk to introduce Britain to America’s best soft drink. We make the kind of root beer I grew up with: all natural, sweetened with cane sugar, with the perfect blend of sweetness and bite. I just knew that the British public was going to love it too!”
The brand has lined up a number of national stockists and premium retailers to add its current listings, which includes department store Selfridges.
Selfridges grocery buyer Scott Winston said: “With the craft soda revolution gaining pace in America and the hard soda trend coming to our shores, we’re excited to be the first to take Soda Folk root beers and cream sodas to our shelves; as always, we strive to promote exciting and innovative young brands and are supporting the new listing with Soda Folk’s involvement in this year’s ‘Meet the Maker’ campaign.”
Tom Byng, founder of American-style diner chain Byron, added: “We’ve long supported craft brewing, so we’re proud to be the first restaurant group to serve Soda Folk. Ken’s craft sodas are the perfect match for our proper hamburgers: classic American flavours, made with great, simple ingredients, and lots of care and attention to detail.”
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