In terms of food, Hong Kong is a democracy of choices in cuisines, restaurants and groceries. But drink-wise, the shelves are still mostly ruled by oligarchs. You’ll find the same beer, wine and spirits everywhere. Dining out, the non-alcoholic options are limited to juice or soft drinks, coffee or tea, and that’s about it. Even if you want soy milk or craft beer – or Red Bull and Gatorade at the gym – these drinks are likely produced by corporate giants, too. But quite a number of local upstarts – or should that be start-ups – are thirsting for change. Against the odds, these Davids are not only challenging industry-established Goliaths, but also slinging uncommon refreshments. Lisa and Patricia Lam are the city’s kombucha pioneers, starting the bottled-fermented drinks brand Taboocha in 2014. “At that time, I had quit my job to travel and learned how to make kombucha. It really helped my own health,” recalls Lisa Lam, the younger of the Lam sisters. “I saw other people doing this as a business overseas, so I thought I’ll try it out here. At the time, there was no kombucha market, no online platforms and no e-commerce.” Initially, they primarily sold their homebrews at outdoor markets, introducing them as health elixirs, until eco-minded eatery Sohofama asked to stock their drinks at the restaurant. “Back then, we had no actual product for retail, no logo, hadn’t registered a trademark, and didn’t even have any bottles or labels,” Lam says. Why you have to visit Japan if you want to drink many of its best beers Now the sisters have employees and a proper retail network, they have opened a brewing facility and produce a range of flavours that are organic, vegan and naturally refreshing, with a slight bubbly tanginess from the fermentation. Business is still an uphill struggle. Lots of people still don’t understand their unpasteurised kombucha or its health properties. Furthermore, Hong Kong’s status as one of the world’s most expensive cities hasn’t changed. “It’s so tough here. The rent is sky high,” Lam says. “Brands elsewhere don’t have the same pressure. Overseas, they can rent a huge warehouse with a parking area and pay less than our office. “The drinks culture is also not as evolved. People expect things to be cheap. They think we are like cold-brewed teas, but that’s like comparing grape juice to wine. The processing method is so different and the time and attention required makes this unique. “If people are willing to pay HK$50 (US$6.50) for a cup of tea in a cafe, maybe they can reconsider our bottled drinks as no less valuable.” Another health-conscious sister act are Mazing and Connie Lee, creator of wellness brand Lify. Using traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) as a base, they develop herbal supplements and tea capsules. Last autumn, they launched a line of sparkling tea tonics in cans. “Back in 2018, my sister and I ran a design consultancy doing projects related to coffee capsule systems,” Mazing Lee says. “At the same time, I was going through some health issues and took a course in TCM. “Holistic knowledge is quite complicated for most people to understand and practise in everyday life, so we thought drinks are a good entry point for the public. We could do some accessible drink products with Chinese medicines and herbs. “Some of the inspiration came from overseas where people take supplements with meals, so we looked at doing functional drinks as something that’s both healthy and delicious.” Their sugar-free, carbonated teas have different ingredients such as turmeric and ginseng for energy, oolong and goji berries to enhance recovery, macha and rose for skin radiance, but they all include super herbs, plant roots and collagen. “We also launched a formulation with CBD as well, but the government tightened its regulations,” Lee adds. Workshops and pop-up events at gyms and Lululemon stores have been the primary method for Lify to get word out about their drinks. Naturally, two years of social distancing hasn’t help, but the Lee sisters remain optimistic. “We are trying to demystify TCM, make it easier for people to drink functional herbal beverages. Overseas, functional beverages such as those with collagen, super herbs and mushrooms, are on the rise. I think combining them with our products could put us in a unique position,” Lee says. Market education is also the primary challenge for Allen Zhang, the main entrepreneur behind BubbleMe, a line of Hong Kong-produced hard seltzers – alcoholic soft drinks. They have gained traction in the United States but are still relatively unfamiliar in Asia. Zhang is confident that once people try it they will understand and like it. After all, hard seltzer is not rocket science (in which Zhang holds a degree). “Originally I studied aerospace engineering and worked for a major jet engine company, so my career started on a different path,” Zhang says. “In the US, hard seltzer is quite a big phenomenon, but six or seven years ago nobody had heard of them either. When I came back to Hong Kong, I realised there aren’t any hard seltzers around, so this was an opportunity.” Less than two years after its launch, BubbleMe is primarily funded by Zhang from proceeds of past companies he started and sold. His ultimate goal is to grow a global drinks brand. “Maybe we can’t challenge Coca-Cola yet, but in a couple of years perhaps we can challenge Smirnoff Ice,” Zhang suggests. “The reception has been better than we expected. People in Hong Kong tend to like smaller quantities of high-quality things; whereas in the US, it’s about high quantity and it doesn’t matter what the quality is.” Hong Kong fashion store founders on Covid-19 impact and why they’re staying In switching career fields, Zhang has also learned some crucial lessons about his new business. “Coming from an entrepreneurial and engineering background, trial and error is really important. You always want to be testing, pivoting and changing as quickly as possible. But when you’re building a brand, it’s the opposite. You can’t be changing identity all the time. “Early on, I kept wanting to change the logo and packaging and I realised that doesn’t work. You need people to identify with your brand and it has to be consistent. That was a key learning point.” A recent graduate in food and nutritional science at HKU, Winston Lau has started a craft soda and sparkling tea label, Mindful Sparks. Lau was initially interested in brewing beer, but realised that road is well worn and exhaustively travelled. “The beer market is saturated; whatever style you can think of, there’s already someone doing it,” Lau admits. “Also, (when I was doing beer) I tried to do a tasting survey but many of my friends don’t drink alcohol. I then realised the market for non-alcoholic drinks is much bigger. “What I am doing is premium craft soda and sparkling tea. People enjoy wine for the full experience of the aroma, taste, the body and the aftertaste. I’m trying to create that experience with pop. “We do slow carbonation at a low temperature, compared to commercially produced soda’s instant carbonation. You can taste the difference. The bubbles are finer, not as rough.” It’s like, ramen in Japan used to be considered a low food in the 1950s. It came from China and was a cheap Chinese dish … Now people are willing to pay over HK$100 for a bowl Winston Lau, founder of Mindful Sparks The brand name is a reference to the Buddhist aspiration of heightened consciousness, or mindfulness. Lau wants to elevate carbonated pop to something more refined and complex than fizzy sugary water. “The biggest challenge is how to educate people about my products? How to prove what we do is worth HK$30 a bottle rather than HK$10.” From a small industrial space in Kwai Fong, Lau is developing flavours like rose butterfly pea flower sparkling mocktail, sparkling white peach Earl Grey, and houjicha (Japanese roasted green tea) vanilla ice-cream seltzer. “It contains lactose for a fuller mouth feel,” he says. Lau’s drinks might not have reached the masses yet, but they are being sought out by fine-dining chefs and restaurants in Hong Kong – including Cultivate, Roganic and Lung King Heen – to enhance their drinks menu. To a budding brand, that’s not just a sale, it’s a high endorsement. “I want to start a culture, an affordable luxury,” Lau says. “It’s like, ramen in Japan used to be considered a low food in the 1950s. It came from China and was a cheap Chinese dish. “Over time, people kept improving it and its appreciation increased. Gradually there developed a ramen culture. Now people are willing to pay over HK$100 for a bowl. “Maybe I can help create a culture for premium craft soda and sparkling tea.”