The wellness warriors

A new year usually brings the will to live well and watch what you eat. Easy does it thanks to these Yorkshire ‘good-for-you’ businesses

- Bethan Andrews

THE DRINK TO WATCH

Kombucha is the health tipple of the moment. Equinox brought the trendy fermented drink to Hebden Bridge some seven years ago when it was barely being whispered about outside of Asia. Now, they are one of the leading Kombucha companies in the UK. ‘You can never start these things too early,’ says director Daniel Spayne. ‘But in some ways, maybe we were a little ahead of our time as people didn’t really have any idea what Kombucha really was.’

So, what exactly is it, and how can it benefit our health? The fermented drink is made from sweetened tea and a specific culture known as a ‘scoby’, which stands for symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeasts. It is thought that the probiotic bacteria can help balance the gut and the antioxidants in the drink help fight free radicals.

‘It’s a living food,’ explains Spayne. ‘Bacteria and yeast are the essence of Kombucha – it’s reinvigorating fermented foods. Gluconic acids that are present are good for your intestinal flora and the gut. The bacteria and the yeast benefits are still being researched but we know that our customers say it makes them feel better and less bloated. People experience the drink and then feel as though it has really helped them. There’s no artificial sweeteners or nasty ingredients in it.’

The business had a big near miss when the factory was flooded in the 2015 Boxing Day floods, but friends, family and the local community could see the potential in the company and came together to get it back up and running.