CITY DRINKS FIRM IS ON THE RIGHT TRACK
GLASGOW drinks brand Two Birds has come a long way over the last few years, growing from a coffee break experiment to a thriving, health-focused lifestyle brand.
After navigating the trials of trading through a pandemic, the family-owned business has now truly taken flight with their cold brew drinks now stocked by over 100 independent retailers across the UK.
Danny Stevenson, who coowns the Two Birds with his brother Greg, says that for him it’s all about combining his twin passions for quality coffee and encouraging healthier habits. He said: “I always knew that I wanted to start my own business.
“The whole idea for Two Birds came to me when I was working a 9-5 job doing digital marketing for a kilt-making company in Glasgow.
“I was in a co-working space with the guys from Dear Green Coffee.
“I used to get a coffee from them and then sit and add things like Echinacea drops or have a vitamin C drink on the side, but it was too much of a faff. It got me thinking about developing a grab and go drink that would work for people with busy lifestyles.
“That’s how I ended starting Two Birds Drinks with my dad and brother in 2019.”
Danny’s quest for a convenient drink that packed a nutritional punch has now become a nationwide success in the form of a vitamin-enriched Cold Brew Coffee.
And it’s not a case of jumping on the wellness bandwagon for the Two Birds.
With two boutique gyms in Glasgow that encourage a fun yet functional approach mental and physical health, Danny and his team eat, sleep and breathe fitness.
Having achieved all this in only a few short years is impressive, to say the least, but Danny believes that their success has only been possible thanks to a trailblazing network of other independent local businesses.
He said: “We worked closely with a food scientist to develop our cold brew which is made using Dear Green’s Brazilian blend coffee which we then steep for 18 hours and blend with ginger and turmeric.
“I think working in a collective with other Glasgow businesses like Clever Kombucha or Rapscallion Soda in the same building played a huge part in our identity.
“I spent half my time just chapping on doors and chatting to people instead of doing my work because I knew it was important to do that before launching Two Birds.
“The only reason that we’ve managed to grow so fast is through the Glasgow community and collaboration with other small businesses.”
In a massive milestone for the holistic health advocates, Two Birds recently secured a deal to supply Avanti West Coast train lines who will now be stocking their traditional Cold Brew as well as a new Green Tea drink made in collaboration with Jenier World of Teas, another independent Glasgow born retailer.
Far from showing signs of slowing down, the future looks bright for Danny and his team who see themselves evolving even further as a brand.
He said: “Now that we’ve launched with Avanti we are looking to work with other big retailers, potentially in the travel sector. Even though we’re growing quickly we still want to continue with our ethos of supporting local.
“My dad was such a big inspiration for me starting the business, he actually set up a social enterprise in Aberdeen with a huge skate park.
“We’ve tried to keep those ideals going with Two Birds and we now sponsor athletes like skateboarders and surfers across Scotland. We almost want to be like a more community or family-focused version of what Red Bull does.
“We see ourselves becoming more of a lifestyle brand than just a drinks company, it’s about building a community.”