The Food Producers – Hannah Calder and Harriet Armston-Clarke of Belly Dance

Belly Dance is a new fermented soft drink. Made from water kefir, it’s low sugar, caffeine free and vegan. Tom’s Food! can confirm that it’s also delicious. We particularly like the Fiery Ginger one. Other flavours include Cherry Berry and Kiwi Mango.  Drinks expert Diana Thompson has written that it’s now her favourite non-alcoholic drink. Last year they won the Start Up of the Year Award at the Free From Food Awards.

It was co-founded by Edinburgh born Hannah Calder and friend Harriet Armston-Clarke. On The Side managed to catch up with Hannah.

Tell me a bit more about yourselves.

We met as yoga teachers in East London and became best friends. Wellness and fun are both at the core of our personal lives and business, so we created a drink to match. Whether stretching in the sun or dancing till sunrise, we believe in balance - this is at the heart of Belly Dance.

Does either of you have any background in food manufacturing?

No!

As well as teaching yoga, Hannah is a Nutritional Therapist and is always researching new trends and products. In addition, Hannah has significant experience managing large teams for Sky, Red Bull and Amazon, experience which is invaluable in her management of Brand and Production at Belly Dance.

Harriet also teaches yoga and is a mum of two young children. With 14 years of sales and commercial experience including three years as a Managing Director, Harriet oversees the commercial side of the business.

Who came up with the idea – and why?

We both became interested in the gut microbiome as Hannah was studying nutrition and Harriet became a new mum, navigating the world of baby antibiotics. But we struggled to find a low sugar, clean, fermented drink.

We stumbled across the amazing benefits of water kefir and began fermenting it in our little London flats.

Tell me about how the drink came to be developed?

We made our DIY at home in Kilner jars for about 6 months, finessing the fermentation process and playing around with a variety of flavours. After rave reviews, we decided to upscale production and bring our gut-groovin’ Belly Dance to a larger audience.

What help, if any, did you have with the development process?

After great feedback, we moved from our DIY phase and spoke with a variety of product developers – narrowing it down to one that has worked with a variety of wellness brands. This 3 month process created the shelf-stable, fully tested product you see today.

The website has a lot of useful information about Belly Dance. Is there anything like it on the market?

We say water kefir is kombucha’s younger, cooler sister. Kombucha has been a rising star in the soft drinks category, especially across the pond, and it’s time for water kefir to take the stage. With a different acidic profile, water kefir combats the ‘vinegary’ taste often associated with kombucha to create a light, refreshing drink. Plus, unlike kombucha, it’s caffeine-free – so suitable for any time of the day.

Kefir is quickly becoming the first choice of ferment for UK customers. However, traditional yoghurt kefir is inaccessible to the millions of Brits living with lactose intolerance or choosing a vegan diet.

With any new food process the red tape before you get it into development can be horrendous. Tell me about your experience.

Everything was new to us so we didn’t have much to parallel our experience from. We’re very much learning as we go and navigating any ‘tape’ that appears. The food & drink community is great, so there’s usually always another brand who have experienced a similar issue whose brains we can pick.

Financing a new business is difficult – do you have external funders?

We have bootstrapped to date and are now fundraising - so if you’re interested in joining the gut-groovin’ movement, get in touch!

Do you still have the same manufacturing people as at the outset?

Yes – we strive for sustainability, blending our award-winning drinks on a UK farm which generates 100% of its power for production through onsite anaerobic digestion, a green renewable process. Our cans and packaging are made from 100% recyclable materials helping to minimise waste and promote the circular economy. We have a great relationship with the team there, which will be important as we scale.

I think both of you have full time jobs? How much time are you able to devote to the business. Who does what?

As much as we can! We’d say we’re both currently doing two full time jobs, but will be transitioning onto Belly Dance officially full time this year. It’s been tough year juggling work (alongside Harriet having a baby) but we believe in our product and are excited for what’s to come.

What are your ambitions for the business?

Get bellies dancing all around!

What advice would you give to anyone looking to go on the same journey as you?

Go for it! And, if you can, find a great co-founder as it’s a rollercoaster - we certainly couldn’t imagine doing it without one another.

To find out more about Belly Dance and how to order, please find below links to their social media accounts.

 Website;  Instagram @drinkbellydance; LinkedIn

Click here to read what Diana Thompson had to say.

On The Side will return in a few weeks