No part of this orange is left unjuiced or unsqueezed. Blended with cold-pressed orange extract and spring water. In processing, the leftover orange husk and peel are dried and shredded and then sold for its pectin content. We know we need to reduce our dependence on sugar as a society. So our lemonade, cola and orangeade in cans contain 40% less sugar per 100ml than other mainstream soda brands, while our bottled range contains approximately 50% less sugar per 100ml. I didn’t know what I was doing, really. I didn’t know then that most drinks companies actually don’t make their own drinks from scratch, or distribute themselves, for example.”

Starting out wasn’t all easy. “With drinks businesses, there are low barriers to entry but high barriers to scale,” says O’Brien. That can lead to the need to make difficult decisions. “If you’re bootstrapping as a young person, you often start out with friends, but the people you’re with at the beginning probably won’t be the same ones around in the middle. That’s hard. You’re often running out of money as a small business too – it can get a bit squeaky from time to time.” When life gives you lemons, drop them and bail. Our lemonade is crisp, simple and refreshing. Contains actual Sicilian lemons including cold-pressed lemon extract for a more complex taste.What O’Brien terms the “Innocent and Fever-Tree effect”, has more recently led to a boom in investment in small, creative drinks companies. “Money people have cottoned on to the fact that there is money to be made in small food and drink businesses if it’s done right.” Duncan set up the first brewyard in the heart of East London, sourcing ingredients such as fresh ginger and kola nuts from local markets including Ridley Road in Dalston. The drinks were all handmade and delivered by bike to London’s coffee shops and restaurants. Our signature blend. Coca Cola ain’t got diddly on this. Made with real kola nuts, citrus and spices.

Dalston’s works directly with its suppliers, from farmers in Kent who supply our apples to growers in Sicily who supply our lemons and oranges. We only use the best-tasting, natural ingredients and you won’t find a single artificial chemical or sweetener in any of our products. Not one.

GINGER BEER

Taste is one area where I think many big food and drinks companies took their eye of the ball,” he says. That’s where he and his team saw an in: making something with higher-quality, natural ingredients, and therefore less of the sugar or artificial sweeteners relied upon to flavour mainstream sodas. It all began in Dalston in 2012 when Passing Clouds nightclub chose not to serve branded cola. Tired of refusing customers who just wanted a fizzy drink, Duncan and Steve set about making their own natural alternative to cola. As chefs, their experience of flavours led them to begin blending, infusing and mashing the first Dalston's Cola by hand in their kitchens. A recent rebrand, which involved changing the name to reflect the bigger company and a new-look label, has helped to make the soda a recognisable player in the drinks market. Food Hygiene Rating: Last inspection date: 1 Feb 2021 (more than 6 moths ago). Score: 5 "VERY GOOD". View on food.gov.uk