A man has built a 1,000-litre kombucha brewery in his parents' back garden.
Karl Axon, 31, from Kirkby is the managing director of Moment Drinks, and was struggling to find suitable premises to accommodate his growing Kombucha business. Kombucha is a popular tea-based fermented soft drink that originated in China more than 2000 years ago.
He said: "I searched everywhere for manufacturing units to let, but there was nothing suitable. It’s like everyone has started a business over lockdown."
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He then had the idea to take over his parents’ garden.
Karl added: "I started looking at self-build units and ended up going down that route. To be honest, it’s perfect. I’ve built a 1000-litre fermentation room, walk-in refrigeration, a storeroom and a canning plant. It’s taken up over 50% of my parents’ garden, but they’re used to me doing these kinds of things."
Moment Drinks had been operating out of a converted railway arch in the Love Lane industrial area in Sandhills. But in the cold winter months earlier this year, the unit became too damp for kombucha production, which needs a highly controlled environment.
Karl said: "I was losing a lot of money. I had to get out of there." Karl's dad, Chris Axon, was happy to lend his support.
Chris said: "He was paying a fortune for unsuitable premises, and that’s no good when you’re trying to grow a business. He asked us whether he could build this new brewery in the garden. I thought his mum would say no because she’s fussy about things like that, but she said yes, eventually. You always want to support your kids where you can. And it means less gardening.
"His mum and I have always been hard workers, but Karl is different. He’s got ideas. When he gets started, there’s no stopping him. We’re both incredibly proud of him."
Karl started his kombucha business two years ago, beginning with five-litre batches at home.
He said: "The following month I bought a 50-litre tank, and now I’m making 1,000 litres at a time. That’s just my personality. I get carried away.
"The last 12 months have been about product testing, trying out different recipes, really finding out what I want to put out there. I’ve now got four flavours which I think are great."
He added: "You can mix Kombucha with spirits if you want. Or I mix the original flavour with beer and have a Kombucha shandy. It’s really refreshing."
