Kefir king to replace pint with healthy brew - that does taste good!

Gerry Scullion left a career in chemistry after coming up with a formula all of his own. He created a much-needed alternative beverage to unhealthy soft and alcoholic drinks (which tastes great by the way) – King of Kefir - with just 10 calories a bottle. He tells us about the trials of setting up a small Irish business, surviving the Covid lockdown and whether a bottle of kefir will ever start to replace a ‘pint of plain’ in Irish pubs.

If I buy a soft drink, it comes with 9 spoons of sugar - completely free of charge. How could you compete with that?

 Ha! We don’t ! One of the main reasons we started making our drinks was that we were always looking for alternatives to the highly sugared soft drinks. Especially in a bar scenario, where it was nigh impossible to find soft drinks that ultimately didn’t leave you feeling worse when you arrive home, than when you left to go out. We designed all our flavours with no added sugar and they all contain less than 3kcal per 100ml.  This makes them a much healthier option for children and adults alike.

Tell us about  kefir?

It’s a naturally fizzy, fermented drink that tastes rather like lemonade, but milder.  These non-alcoholic fermented drinks have grown in popularity in recent years, known for their gut-loving properties, natural fizz and interesting flavours.

But does it taste nice?

Our drinks are gently flavoured with natural juices and herbs and spices and hopefully are an easy transition for people who haven’t tried fermented products before (Bill Tyson says: I’ve tried it and it tastes great – especially Ginger and Lemongrass and Ginger and Chilli.)

What’s wrong with sugar?

 There is now a lot of good research on the long term harm that cane and beet added sugars have on your health.  The sugar taxes have been the result of the growing obesity levels in adults and kids and rise in diabetes. Both linked to excess intake of sugary soft drinks. The cost of these drinks is in ways comparable to the high cost smoking has on our health care services. 

How did you get funded?

When we sold a couple of cases in the beginning we would buy another small pot or tank and we organically grew. It was tough. But we have had great support from the Chocolate Factory Community in Dublin - a creative community with many independents working there with many skillsets to call upon for help. As we grew, we secured bank loans to further expand.

How are you doing in the C-19 crisis?

Sales are definitely impacted greatly due to the closure of the food services sector such as cafes, restaurants and bars. We still thankfully have SuperValu and independent wholefood shops.

Can we buy Keffir in pubs?

We have just launched our new hopped culture product which is aimed at providing non-alcoholic options for bars . It has hints of elderflower and pineapple other tropical fruit on the nose and then a grapefruit and lemon juice taste, with no sugars.  When the bars open we hope to see this more widely available.

What did your parents teach you about money?

Dad was always encouraging us to save.  I was slow to listen but I have learnt to appreciate money in a different way now. Less is more.

Ever been treated badly as a consumer? What would you do?

I am not shy about taking up complaints with service providers should the need arise. I don’t subscribe to the “Irish “ way of not saying anything at the time and moaning about it later.

What’s your hobby? Does it cost much?

I love sea kayaking. The Dublin coastline is beautiful from the water. You get up and close with nature. Was lucky enough to spot puffins one time I was out off Howth. Wasn’t expecting to see them on the East coast. They are as colourful as you would expect them to be. The most expensive part initially is the kayak but you can rent them in the beginning and always pick up one 2nd hand when you are more familiar with what suits you . The costs after that are low as maintenance doesn’t tend to be costly unlike with sailing.

What’s your guilty treat? (A nice cold bottle of sugary cola, go on admit it!)

Craft beers all day long. I absolutely love the Irish beer craft scene. Life is too short to drink bad beer and there is a lot off it from the big plc brewers.  Remember also every euro spent on an Irish craft brewery means the money stays local and doesn’t wing it off to a pension fund abroad.

 Three things you would do as finance minister?

• Deposits for returning glass and plastic bottles would clean up the streets overnight. It would also help solve the waste segregation problem that is faced by the recycling industry.

• Provide funding for a fast charging network for electric cars. They are coming whether people like them or not. But the transition would be far smoother if the government invested in a fast charging network.

• Lower taxes on sustainable energy projects