Rose Cottingham, How Fever Tree Built a Flavour Empire With A Little Help From Citrus Fruits
Discover how Rose Cottingham, Director of Innovation at FeverTree, leverages over 16 years of experience to craft high-quality mixers and ingredients that redefine premium beverages. This episode explores the journey of product development from sourcing and flavour profiling to global expansion, providing insight into the art of innovation within the beverage industry. In this episode: Rose shares her background and journey into product innovation at FeverTree. The importance of ingredient quality and provenance in flavour development. How global trips and supplier relationships influence product story and taste. The creative process behind new flavour profiles like blood orange ginger beer. The role of regional influences and terroir in sourcing citrus ingredients. Collaboration strategies with partners like Angostura and Mirabeau. Market trends: shifting consumer habits towards premium, non-alcoholic drinks. The significance of branding and packaging, especially in flavour prioritisation. Innovation tactics starting from bar trial, iterative tasting, and supplier collaboration. Future product directions and the potential role of unique ingredients like bergamot and yuzu. Timestamps: 00:00 - Introducing Rose Cottingham and FeverTree's innovation journey 02:05 - Rose’s background and her role as Director of Innovation 04:12 - How ingredient quality and provenance drive product differentiation 06:45 - The story behind sourcing blood oranges from Mount Etna 08:30 - The significance of terroir and environmental factors in flavour development 10:15 - The process of developing the blood orange ginger beer 12:47 - From bar experiments to market-ready products: the development process 15:32 - The launch and branding strategy for new products like blood orange ginger beer 18:00 - The importance of supplier relationships and regional ingredient sourcing 21:10 - The influence of travel and field trips on flavour discovery 23:00 - Exploring innovative citrus varieties and regional nuances 26:10 - Collaboration with bitters and partners to create distinctive flavours 29:20 - How consumer trends shape product development and branding focus 31:00 - The evolving beverage market: shift towards premium and non-alcoholic options 33:30 - The role of flavour storytelling and ingredient authenticity in branding 35:45 - Quickfire questions: favourite mixer, cocktail, and citrus fruit 38:00 - Wrap-up and future possibilities for FeverTree’s innovation roadmap Resources & Links: FeverTree Official Website Angostura bitters Mirabeau Wines Crowd Farming Shrub London Todoli Foundation, Valencia, Spain Oscar Tintori, Tuscany