Earthen Roots: Five Years of Soft-isticated Drinks in Beijing

What kind of drinker are you, dear reader? Or maybe you're a teetotaller, which I shan't judge. In fact, it's a rising trend nowadays for lots of reasons. I can say I typically try not to go over a couple of beers or glasses of wine on the weekend. Easier on the body and, if we're being honest, on my purse, too. 


Also, I don't even have to look boring these days because of the ever-increasing range of non-alcoholic options that we can find nowadays in Beijing's bars, pubs and restaurants. Forcibly spending RMB 40 on the sad triad of coke, soda water, or whatever bottled juice is so passé, and mocktails are in. 


Booze or no booze, though, I am not always in the mood for fancy schmancy concoctions and their price tag. Whether I am in some laid-back pub or just relaxing at home, sometimes I just want to open the fridge and grab a good ole bottle that is ready to pop'n'go. And when that happens, more often than not I am reaching for Earthen Roots. Born-and-bred in Beijing, they have just celebrated their fifth anniversary, and with good reason. Lewis Murray and Tina Yu Murray set out in 2019 with a self-imposed mission to keep the happy hour going in China, crafting soft drinks with the proper ingredients, a lot of enthusiasm and a ton of hard work. 


Pop drinks don't have to do you dirty, but if you want to add in some booze – no judgement! There's a lot fizzing up for Earthen Roots these days, so don't be a guest, grab yourself something cold now that the temps are up, and read our chat below. 





Hello to both of you! For those readers who may not know you yet, introduce yourselves and your brand!
Hey there! Our brand Earthen Roots is devoted to bringing finely crafted, light-in-sugar soft drinks and mixers to China that everyone can enjoy however they like – it could be on their own, or as part of any cocktail you can think of. Currently, we have a series of craft ginger beer, lemonade and grape soda, which are all made from natural ingredients and vegan-friendly. Now that we're turning five, we're staying true to our roots, like we always have. 


You guys started out in 2019 – what was your motivation? Did you have any previous experience in the F&B industry, or even in the entrepreneurial field at all? 
Our motivation has remained unchanged since the very beginning of our brand. We started our business because we found that there was a dearth of quality soft drinks and cocktail mixers in China. Take ginger ale as an example. A funny fact is that the usual ginger ale that people can buy from shops and restaurants here in China is actually made with lots of sugar and artificial flavours, rather than real ginger. 


Meanwhile, Lewis comes from the UK, where there are increasingly discerning and health-conscious drinking trends. People over there enjoy a craft soft drink just as much as they would a craft beer, and they actually have choices nowadays, too. So, we realized this market gap and saw an opportunity for us to provide a new class of quality craft beverages, creating fine drinking experiences for consumers in China. With Earthen Roots, we deliver a new class of healthier beverages which are bursting with flavor and provide new, tastier drinking experiences for our customers. 


As for previous experience, not really. We were rather new to it all, to be honest. Lewis comes from the IT and education sectors, and had some amateur experience in drinks back in the UK. Tina was in media and public relations and did have a few customers in the F&B industry, but not very many. Earthen Roots truly marked our departure from amateur foodies into actual entrepreneurs. Though we still love to try new foods and flavours for the sheer fun of it, for sure!





You registered your company in 2019, but your first batch of products did not come until March 2020. How did your brand-new business deal with the onset of Covid and the pandemic years that ensued? 
It was indeed a steep learning curve, and we certainly faced rather challenging times along with so many other F&B stakeholders. On one hand, there was a scarcity of offline opportunities for us to promote our drinks and our brand to both individual consumers and business partners, like restaurants and bars. On the other hand, though, this was the era of the online bazaars that so many people started to organize on WeChat. This is where we gained our wings, promoting our products and brand on a few of these initiatives, such as those run by Rumble in the Jumble and Vegans of Beijing. Simultaneously, we also launched our Taobao and WeChat shops, which allowed us to ship our drinks to many consumers both in Beijing and nationwide. 


We believe that our craft drinks "talk" better themselves, so we didn't do a great deal of livestreams etc., but we did share a number of DIY drink recipes using our products on our official WeChat account (陆之源Earthen Roots). We've actually continued doing as much, with the idea to hopefully help people make their bartender dreams come true. 


Going back to the experience aspect of it all, Lewis had been in China for quite some years already, and luckily that meant he had a bit of a network in terms of locally based suppliers and restaurants, which were always so welcoming to us. People really were so receptive, and talking directly to potential customers made all the difference. Our audience in the online markets was just as willing to interact, perhaps because we were all stuck at home and hankering for that human touch. Then, we found that the best we could do for our own product was to just let it speak for itself.





Nowadays, we can find you at a series of venues such as Side Street, Paddy O'Shea, LAD, Home Plate BBQ, Mesa Madre, Timekeepers, Schiller's, Confidential and more, as well as at retail partners like CHEERS and Gulou Gourmand. Will that list expand anytime soon? For any brand just starting out there, how do you go about securing a space in Beijing's F&B network? 
Here, it's worth noting that we consider ourselves incredibly lucky to collaborate, through thick and thin, with all these amazing partner restaurants, bars and retail stores that are always so open to new ideas and things. We are thankful that they like our products and really enjoy working with all of them. I think we add value to their menus, namely by providing quality options to their customers who may not want to drink. And we are always absolutely open to expanding this list of partners. These F&B establishments really are part of the social fabric of Beijing, so it is our pleasure to provide service to them. 


I think we always identify clearly the challenges of the pandemic years and then maybe forget that the years afterwards have also been quite hard in their own way. People simply have had less spending power – everyone's had to tighten up their budget. We are hoping that things will start to pick back up this year. Prior to Covid, you would see these drifters that made it to Beijing in search of new opportunities, and though they were probably not going to stay for good, they did love to enjoy their time in the city, spending quite freely on leisure. The landscape now may look different, but it seems as though things are gaining some steam this year. 


Back to having advice for upcoming brands, though, we would say that coming up with your own specialty niche really is key for securing a space in Beijing's F&B scene. This is so because these potential partners you are looking to find are also all rather unique in their effort to have a meaningful spot on the city map. For Earthen Roots, that meant focusing on natural, light-in-sugar soft drinks and mixers. Know your audience. Determine the value that your product will bring to your partners, do your research and make sure to gather different opinions on your product concept. Last but not least, even as you figure out aspects such as licenses and other paperwork, small, informal settings provide you with the initial opportunities you need to test the waters and actually work towards a finished product. We know that's how it worked for us at places such as Rumble in the Jungle and other more formal events. 





With regard to the light-in-sugar aspect of your products, would you say that it was very central to your original vision for Earthen Roots? Also, you presently offer a trio of flavours: lemonade, ginger beer and grape soda. Will new ones come up soon? 
We wouldn't say that the focus was on light-sugar per se, though we did want to have tasty, healthy options versus the limited choice we had here. People nowadays do care very much about their sugar intake, which is something you'll quickly notice on a visit to the supermarket. Admittedly, we are also no strangers to that cloying sweetness that takes over when you've finished your first can of any old-school soft drink and go for a second. We did want to avoid that.


In terms of variety, it's always been important to us. Our grape soda is always popular at the stalls we have at international schools' markets and open days. Children, who are most assumed to have a sweet tooth, really enjoy drinking our natural, lower-sugar grape soda. Then also, ginger beer was immediately on our list with that refreshing, spicy kick from the UK drink Lewis missed so much. We thought that China is home to great ginger, as well as overall just so many wonderful flavours, fruits and produce that we knew we wanted to feature [ginger] in Earthen Roots, building on traditional British classics with local twists and impeccable quality. 


Well, with ginger in particular, we were in for a surprise. Ginger is very popular in China indeed ... for cooking – not so much in drinks. Initially, our original non-alcoholic ginger beer was much spicier, and at some point, we even had an alcoholic option. Both were eventually discontinued because the market was simply not big enough. A pity, but also an interesting lesson on important elements like brand consistency and clarity. You have to learn your audience's tastes, and then you also need to let said audience know where you stand in terms of an offer. For that reason, we will focus on our current trio of flavours for the time being, most likely. Our current version of ginger beer is always a hit with adult expats, as it rings true to the flavor that their taste buds recall from back home. Our lemonade is always pretty popular with almost everyone, too. In the future, we might consider coming up with new products, but in the meantime, we are happy that our present choices remain steadily popular.





Speaking of favorites, which are your ideal recipes, both alcoholic and non-alcoholic, incorporating Earthen Roots? 
Lewis won't ever say no to an Irish mule – ginger and whiskey really pair nicely. If you don't believe us, go to Homeplate and order a Kentucky Mule for a fierce kick of the ginger beer teamed up with Bourbon. Confidential in Shuangjing has a Grape Vodka that works really well for a night at the club, and you can't go wrong with a Pimm's Cup for the ultimate British classic featuring our lemonade. Tina herself loves a very specific concoction that she's dubbed Lemonade Espresso. The name is self-explanatory: a boost of vitamin C into your morning cup of joe for a true boost of energy! And for a combo of ginger beer and lemonade, look no further than Gunner Shandy, a Hong Kong fav where both go half and half, paired with lime cordial and a few drops of bitters. 


We really trust the pros at our partner restaurants and bars, but the recipes we've shared in our official WeChat account should help you at the home front!





You've done a couple of exciting collaborations with famous brands in the last few years. Tell us more about those, please, and are there any new chances coming down the pipeline?
We are proud members of the British Chamber of Commerce and have therefore enjoyed the opportunity to join several international exhibitions and events run by the Chamber. Think the British Christmas Market and Gala, as well as the British Ball. We have also provided drinks and on-site bar services for the St. Andrews Ball in Beijing in the past three years. Then also, we catered drinks at the opening event for two of Lululemon's stores in Beijing. On top of that, being part of the Beijing expats community, we have actually been present at some of the F&B festivals under the Beijinger's banner, and we've worked closely with some international schools in Beijing. The latter will be part of our agenda in the next few months, and we're also looking forward to meeting old and new friends at this year's edition of the Highland Games. 





Can you tell me more about your visual identity, which has remained unchanged for the last few years and feels very in tune with your mission…
Here, we relied on a Chinese graphic designer that we actually found via social media, where you can meet so many talented freelancers ready to work with you without their aesthetics and skills being constrained to any specific company. Our logo features a plant growing from the roots in the earth, illustrating the fact that all of our craft drinks are made of natural ingredients and reflecting our vision of staying true to nature and our roots.


Meanwhile, the graphic design for our bottles features a water painting of the star ingredient for each drink, as well as alphabet bubbles in matching colours that deliver a fizzy and refreshing feeling when you drink our craft sodas. Bullet points state the features of the drinks, and here it's worth mentioning that design isn't just about the looks. There's a series of regulations that come into play, as well as certain information that needs to be on display. You need to give some thought to materials, too. Our glass bottles are good for keeping CO2 and maintaining a good taste – from the first till the last sip. Glass is more stable than tin cans when containing soda, and the classic beer-like bottle design guarantees that you skip any awkwardness when drinking in a bar. Plus, it's a more conscious choice for the environment. 





Lastly, what are you hoping to achieve in the next few years? And do you have any closing words of advice for new entrepreneurs?  
It's true that we are big believers in taking one step at a time and making each step count, even if it's not a huge stride or even a step forward. That's actually our hope for the future when it comes to our own company, and it might as well be our final piece of advice for anyone else. As we mentioned before, Beijing has some pretty supportive business networks that help entrepreneurs develop their business and communicate with fellow business owners. Make use of those to thrive as an independent small business! Rumble in the Jumble, Vegans of Beijing, then for sure Chambers of Commerce for each country, too, serve as good networks for more professional and higher levels of industrial insights and opportunities. 


It's helpful to do your homework before launch day, to gain an understanding of the industry, the market and any potential partners, clients and customers. Last but not least ... love what you do, and be faithful to your vision! 


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Images: courtesy of Earthen Roots
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