The million-dollar question; what to drink when you’re not drinking? While sugar-filled drinks and juices are part of near enough every menu, where exactly can one enjoy a delicious cocktail sans alcohol and boatloads of sugar? Enter Seedlip. Seedlip is the first ever distilled non-alcoholic spirit and is taking the world by storm with its innovation and incredible flavours. Tapping into a niche market and creating what is undoubtedly the most fashionable non-alcoholic spirit, there is finally an inviting option for dinner parties, long days and restaurant pairings.  As someone who loves cocktails (not calories), I was blown away by the flavours and options found within Seedlip’s blends, most notably their newest addition to the family, Seedlip Grove.

I had the pleasure of sitting down with Ben Branson, founder of Seedlip to learn more about the brand that is turning heads and elevating the cocktail game. Hailing from the county of Lincolnshire in the East Midlands of England, Branson comes from a family of farmers who have been farming for 320 years, using baskets called Seedlips to sow seeds. Combining his passion for nature and farming with an extensive background in design, Branson marries together these two worlds and the results speak for themselves. Sit back, grab a drink (Seedlip Grove with a splash of tonic and a slice of orange is Branson’s recommendation …and I concur) and let me take you on a little journey through the history of Seedlip!

Where did the concept of Seedlip come from?

It wasn’t a business idea and it didn’t happen overnight. Growing up I loved nature and farming and often grew my own stuff at home. I would grow all kinds of mint, peppers, turnips, beetroot, rosemary, and often wondered what else I could grow. I took to the internet to see if there was something I had forgotten about. I started researching and came across a scanned copy of a book called The Art of Distillation which was published in London in 1651. It contained some crazy ingredients like bladderwrack, eyebright and maidenhair, and it turns out it was a recipe book for how to make alcoholic and non-alcoholic medicine from herbs and spices using the distillation process.

I’ve worked with some amazing brands like Absolut and learnt a bit about distillation here, but I’d never heard of it in a non-alcoholic context. Obviously you need a license to distill and make alcohol at home, so I thought I would have a go at this non-alcoholic thing.

When did your idea turn into reality?

In the summer of 2013 I bought a still off the internet. During this time I had my own design business which was only a year old. I wasn’t looking for anything else, this was just a hobby for evenings and weekends. A few months down the road I was out for dinner in London and I wasn’t drinking so I asked the waitress if they had anything good that was non-alcoholic. I don’t know what I expected but I do know what came back; a horrible, fruity, sweet drink that didn’t go well with the food I had ordered, and I couldn’t finish it. This wasn’t a eureka moment, but it was a moment that’s stayed with me.

I don’t care why you’re not drinking, you should be able to get a great drink regardless of the alcohol content, and that great drink does not consist of fruit juice, syrups and cocktail umbrellas. I was going to do something about this! With a goal of 5 products in 2 sizes, I figured it would take me 6 months to do this on the side. I was still planning on running my design business.

Two years later I launched 1 product in 1 size (700ml) and that was Seedlip Spice. I sold my share in my design company and was all-in with Seedlip (I have the crest tattooed on my arm). I had no idea what was going to happen. I made 1000 bottles and we launched in Selfridges. I made it, delivered it, put it on shelves and sampled it. I thought it was going to take 5 months to sell 1000 bottles; it took 3 weeks (bare in mind it takes us 6 weeks to make one bottle). So I made another 1000 and they sold out in 2 ½ days.

It was November time when we launched, and with Seedlip Spice having an aromatic, warm, brown spice flavour it made sense to start with that one and see how it went. I sold the second lot of 1000 bottles, got invited to Buckingham Palace and received emails from The Ritz-Carlton, Harrods …it went nuts. I made another 1000 bottles and they sold out in 30 minutes online from Selfridges website.

What an incredible accomplishment. You must have been over the moon.

I was actually more unhappy than I was happy because I didn’t expect it, I didn’t plan for it and all I had to keep saying was ‘sorry, I’m not from the drinks industry’. I spent 2 years developing a whole bespoke process and creating this brand. I tip toed out there and the market went, we want it …now!

That sounds like the timing was perfect.

It was! 99.9% of the small success we’ve had is a result of timing. People are changing the way they eat, they are changing the way they drink, and they care about what they look like on social media.

What has Seedlip’s progress been like since.

Now we’re up to January 2016. Since then, I now have a team of 55 people across 7 countries, and we sell Seedlip in 25 countries. We work with over 6000 of the best restaurants, bars and retailers and we’re served in 30 of the world’s top 50 best bars. We’re also in over 200 Michelin star restaurants.

You’ve made your cocktails at Buckingham Palace; what was that experience like?

It was nuts. My great grandfather was knighted for his services in agriculture in 1970, and so to walk his walk (not obviously being knighted) was amazing. I’ve got a photo of him standing outside Buckingham Palace; he’s a great inspiration to me. We did some events at St. James’s Palace and Windsor Castle which were really surreal.

Where can people purchase or sip on Seedlip?

Everywhere from the Fairmont in Vancouver to Pusateri’s. We focus on great bars and restaurants (ie. Canoe). We tend to work well with great chefs, bartenders and people who care about their produce, the quality of their ingredients, and ultimately great hospitality.

What is the inspiration behind your Seedlip blends, in particular your most recent addition, Seedlip Grove?

Seedlip Grove relates to my childhood. We didn’t want to try and replicate alcoholic products, we wanted to try and explore really unique flavour profiles and work with interesting ingredients. When I was a kid I was fairly mischievous and would often run off from my mom. She learnt that if she put me in a shopping trolley and gave me a bag of mandarins I’d shut up and wouldn’t go anywhere. To this day on Christmas morning I wake up and in my stocking is a bag of clementines or mandarins. I love oranges, so I wanted to do a blend that really celebrates the orange.

Seedlip Spice is all about the aroma and it reminds me of harvest time at my farm. Seedlip Garden is all about our peas that we hand pick at the farm (there is nothing better as a kid than sitting in a pea field and eating fresh peas from the plants).

Do you have a favourite Seedlip recipe?

I’m partial at the moment given we launched Seedlip Grove 3 weeks ago in the UK. I go home and like to make a nice Seedlip Grove and tonic with a slice of orange.

There’s a brilliant Montreal-based company called 3/4 OZ. They make a spritz syrup so I like to get a wine glass, ice, Seedlip Grove, 20 ml of syrup and top off with soda or sparkling water and a slice of orange. It’s super easy and requires no prep or crazy equipment.

What is the typical food pairing for Seedlip Grove?

Seedlip Grove pairs amazing with Asian flavours because you’ve got the lemongrass and the ginger. It’s great with Thai and Japanese cuisine. Orange and duck are good friends so it goes well with duck, as well as red meat. It’s also beautiful with desserts.

Where do you get your inspiration from?

Nature to me is the best source of inspiration but I can be inspired by anything from a 17^th century poem to a children’s fairy tale to art and lighting.

Who do you see as your competition?

I view our competition as orange juice, sodas, colas, lemonades and fruity-sweet mocktails. They’re a very big competitor and a very big enemy.

What has been one of the most rewarding aspects of launching the Seedlip brand?

70% of my team are 30 and under. They’re an incredible bunch and they’re absolutely fearless. I can’t do it without them, and so to watch them grow and develop and take on more responsibility is rewarding. They don’t have to do this. I’m 100% in it every day, and the fact that 55 people choose to spend the majority of their week and therefore the majority of their year working for me is just epic.

What’s next for Seedlip?

We are building a laboratory and experimental nursey on my farm which will open next year. It will be our research and development centre. We’re also releasing a cocktail book which will be available in Canada on November 1^st.

A huge thanks to Ben Branson for sharing his inspiring story with me!

xo, Kiki