Julia is joined by Pev Manners, managing director of Belvoir Farm, the brand of cordials, sparkling drinks and botanical sodas.

From its beginnings on farm in the early 80s, Belvoir Farm has grown rapidly and continues to launch innovative NPD while staying true to its values on sustainability and quality ingredients. More recently, the brand has been pushing into the ‘no and low’ sector and ramping up its efforts in exports markets, so Pev shares what opportunities he sees in these areas and what’s next for the Belvoir brand in 2022.

Plus, he talks about why he’s happy Belvoir stuck with sugar and didn’t switch to artificial sweeteners and how his business is navigating the current difficult trading conditions, including cost inflation and supply chain disruption.

Articles discussed by Pev and Julia:

Sustainable sourcing: the challenges | Food Manufacture

The great grocery punch-up: Britain’s Biggest Brands 2022 | The Grocer

The truth about artificial sweeteners – and what they really do to your body | The Telegraph

Links to the big food and grocery retail stories this week:

Shirine Khoury-Haq to take the reins at Co-op | The Times

Iceland reverts to palm oil ‘with regret’ as Ukraine war hits food prices | The Guardian

Inflation starting to drive grocery behaviour as pandemic loosens hold on Brits | Kantar

Asda like-for-likes down 2.9% in quarter four of 2021 against tough comparatives | The Grocer

Asda faces legal wrangle with Waitrose after investing £45m in budget range | The Guardian

Sainsbury's urged to up pay to match cost of living | BBC News

Cost of living crisis sees family vegetable consumption fall | The Grocer