Sweet idea for new drink ticks all the boxes
MIXING HIS LOVE FOR CONSERVATION WITH A NEWFOUND PASSION FOR HONEY BEVERAGES, ONE CONSERVATION PROFESSIONAL IS HOPING HIS BRAND,THIRSTY ELEPHANT,WILL MAKE ITS MARK. REPORTS
GTRISH BEAVER
ARETH Roberts from Hilton has big plans for his new range of honeyflavoured cordials. Using honey as the base for his natural cordials he adds ingredients like lavender, ginger, mint and lemon to create a range of refreshing flavours.
Roberts trained in nature conservation many years ago and has been involved in biodiversity and stewardship programmes locally and abroad. He is keen on making products that will have a positive impact on the environment and communities.
Elephants are one of his favourite animals and they are known fondly for their large, lumbering bodies and long trunks. If you have ever observed elephants drinking at a waterhole you will notice how heartily they drink. This is what inspired the name of Roberts’s cordials – Thirsty Elephant.
He believes that there is a beneficial relationship between bees and people in rural areas where elephants leave their dwindling sanctuaries to raid crops and move to other wildlife areas.
Bees are not only vital pollinators for many of our food items, but hives are also being used as fences in communities across Africa and Asia to ward off crop-raiding elephants.
It has become a conservation priority to help the communities set up bee hives and to help them establish markets for their honey. It’s a sweet idea.
Africans have been using honey for centuries, finding honey in the bark of trees and raiding hives in their areas.
Roberts believes that villagers involved in bee farming will not only benefit from having honey on tap, but will boost their immune systems and generate extra income. And they will also benefit from the pollination of their crops.
In the US and many other countries farmers ask bee farmers to transport their hives thousands of kilometres to their farms, to pollinate their trees and crops.
Roberts says that when bees are used as natural pollinators crops can improve significantly.
Roberts began his foray into making cordials when he was looking for a natural alternative to sugar. It is a trend these days for consumers to search for healthier beverages, and they are turning to old-fashioned methods for ideas.
He said: “Honey also has a lot of different flavours depending on plants the bees have been pollinating. Citrus honey from orange blossom tastes very different to saligna gum honey.
“I am hoping to use these subtle differences and incorporate them into the flavours.”
Roberts started selling his luxury cordials in 2016 but has recently started promoting them at flea markets and exhibitions.
“Once people have tried the product they are very keen. It definitely has helped to give customers a taste – because their taste buds do the convincing.”
Roberts has also done his homework on the uses of honey in a historical context and it was the main sweetener used before sugar was grown all over the world as a commercial crop.
The term “golden” honey refers to the colour, but also to its value when it was traded among communities.
In the olden days an alcoholic beverage was made from fermented honey and water. This was known as mead, the ancestor to beer and wine and was made famous by monks. It was an alternative to the commonlydrunk beer we know today.
“The term ‘honeymoon’ was taken from ancient times when arranged marriages were the norm and brides did not meet their grooms until the wedding night. Understandably, the brides – and grooms, too, perhaps – were nervous.
“The couple were given many vats of mead for the first few weeks of marriage, which lasted a lunar cycle of 28 days (wouldn’t that be nice – to have a month of honeymoon?).
“Thus the honey from the mead and the moon from the lunar cycle were joined to coin the term ‘honeymoon’.”
The gifts of mead were used to help the couple relax and allow them to get to know each other.
Roberts has begun to serve “mocktails” at various events where the delicious cordials are served hot or cold. These have been popular at Kwazulu-natal trail-running events.
Also aware of the craze for Banting-friendly products, he has created a Banting-friendly cordial which suits the strict Banting market. He is working on a version that will be suitable for diabetics and vegans.
The Thirsty Elephant cordials are bottled in recycled bottles which he acquires locally from an NGO that collects glass from communities for recycling. He sterilises and reuses them.
“It was important for me to make a product that could tick as many eco-friendly boxes as possible. My background in conservation has made me aware of how we as consumers affect the planet.”
Roberts says his honey-based cordials are non-alcoholic and preservative-free. The flavours have inspired him and some friends to use them in a variety of recipes and they are ideal for sauces, or served with desserts.
To contact Roberts, e-mail: on gareth@thirstyelephant.co.za