First established in 1903 by Ms Knowles’ great, great grandfather in Arbroath, Bon Accord delivered soft drinks to communities all over the country country on its iconic lorries.

The reinvented Bon Accord Soft Drinks is still a family-owned and run venture, and is expanding its new approach with a major listing in Morrisons.

“For almost 100 years that was the business model, doing direct to door deliveries, and then they closed round about the year 2,000,” said Ms Knowles.

“I’ve got a background in the food and drink industry and I was working for the UK’s largest seafood company. When I was there and was pregnant and going out as a non-drinker and a lot the drinks that were on the market were drinks that I didn’t really want to drink or just didn’t think were very innovative or interesting.

“It kind of got me thinking with my industry background and with my family heritage in soft drinks that I could set up Bon Accord and have a go at rebranding and relaunching the company.

“That was in 2016 and that is where I met my business partner, who was in the product development team, I was in the commercial team and with our combined knowledge and expertise in the Scottish food and drink industry we set out to develop healthier soft drinks for the modern consumer.”

READ MORE: Bon Accord wins significant Morrisons drinks deal

So she re-trademarked the business and secured the IP.

“Although we take inspiration from our past in terms of the flavours that we do are understandable and mainstream they are not whacky combinations.

“The innovation and why we are different is because they are naturally sweetened, we are using higher quality healthier ingredients like organic fruit juice and organic coconut nectar.

“It is not your traditional fizzy pop, we are creating drinks that are a bit better for you.”

Karen Knowles and business partner Nathan Burrough

The business had to shift its model when coronavirus hit, but its diversification has strengthened its position.

“Before Covid happened we were reliant on the hospitality sector so we sold a lot to bars, cafes, casual dining restaurants, and that was the real key focus for us, and the likes of farm shops and delis, so mainly independent customers in the wholesale market, and then when Covid happened we realised basically 80 per cent of our customers closed overnight which was a bit of a shock,” said Ms Knowles.

“It made us pivot into other channels so we set up our webshop online and had a more local partnerships during lockdown, so people doing home delivery services.

“It also put a bit of focus on retail, and it was retail that was in our sights longer term, but it sped up that transition with the wholesale business into the retail sector as well."

READ MORE: Scotmid listing for soft drinks firm Bon Accord

A selection of the best-selling Bon Accord lines were launched into Morrisons Arbroath store at the end of 2021 and, following its success, the Bon Accord range has been rolled out to ten stores across Fife, Dundee, Edinburgh and Livingston.

“We’ve been working behind the scenes on that for a few months and that has come to fruition. We’ve stocked in about 30 Co-op stores across Scotland in their local range and were featured in the Scotmid Christmas offering in 150 of their stores, we deal with Margiotta which is a lovely retail chain in Edinburgh and have done Aldi special buys.

“So that pivot into retail has been crucial for us into the last few years, and with restrictions easing our wholesalers are all coming back. The transition was quite important, to not have our eggs all in the one basket.”

It’s running at about 50 per cent wholesale, 30% retail, 10% online and 10% export.

“The stock we had we sold to people doing home delivery services, we sold online, through our retail channels,” she said. “We had a lot of products that were suited for the hospitality sector and then we launched 750 ml bottles and four packs that were more suited to retail, so we just looked at the offering and what we needed to do to make sure we had a business coming out of the other side of it.

“There is a lot of warm nostalgic feeling towards the brand so it will encourage people who remember it the first time to pick it up and then for a lot of new customers as well the packaging looks great, the flavours (Rhubarb Soda, Cloudy Lemonade, and Ginger Beer) are really interesting,” said Ms Kowles. “We would love to increase distribution through the (Morrisons) network, that would be important.

“Then just coming to summer, it is such a key trading time for us, so hopefully the sun shines and we have a successful summer.”

Q&A

What countries have you most enjoyed travelling to, for business or leisure, and why?

We went on a family holiday to Skye last summer and had the most amazing time. We had incredible weather with wall-to-wall sunshine the whole week. I think this has lured my children into a false sense of security about what holidaying in Scotland can actually be like.

When you were a child, what was your ideal job? Why did it appeal?

My dream job was cabin crew on international flights. I loved flying and visiting new places, so as a child I thought it was a good way to combine work and leisure. I still love travelling and can’t wait to go abroad this summer after not being able to do so over the past couple of years.

What was your biggest break in business?

Recently gaining new retail listings has increased our brand exposure, but I honestly feel that over the past six years since we launched Bon Accord, there has been no “big break” moment. It’s been a steady process of organic growth and hard work that has got us where we are today.

What was your worst moment in business?

A tricky one. Increasing the distribution of our range can be difficult at times – I like to see this as a challenge rather than a worst moment. It’s certainly the thing that keeps me motivated.

Who do you most admire and why?

Lucinda Bruce-Gardyne, the owner of Genius Foods, the UK’s leading free-from bakery products. Genius has a range of market-leading products, the business was grown from the roots up and is now an internationally recognised brand.

What book are you reading, what was the last film you saw and what music are you listening to?

Book: Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner. Film: Turning Red, I have children so it was their Friday night movie choice. Music: Little Simz and Khruangbin are amazing.