At Hand Crafted Drinks Magazine we have been introduced to many founders whose journey into the drinks industry was anything but planned.
Some people launched breweries or distilleries to escape the rat race; others reached a point in their life when it was ‘now or never’ or they decided that it was time to stop dreaming.
For Will Englander, founder of the The Root Company – an award-winning organic ginger drinks brand – was born from a moment of extraordinary inspiration. After a near-fatal accident in Japan, Will was put into a medically-induced coma.
He woke up with a renewed zest for life and a craving for something with real gingery kick.
So, during the COVID lockdowns, Will began experimenting in his kitchen to make his own ginger beer, frustrated that most ginger beers were too sweet or the ginger element was too harsh.
After much trial and error, he finalised a fiery recipe using just five natural ingredients and introduced a fresh, clean and intensely gingery drink to the market.
Today, The Root Company continues to follow Will’s “five-ingredient rule”, which has gone on be becoming a successful organic ginger drinks brand with bold tropical twists and a naturally invigorating flavour profile.
Since October, The Root Company’s range – Original Ginger Beer, Fiery Ginger Kick, Pineapple Ginger Beer and Mango Ginger Beer – has been available in Waitrose stores across the country, reinforcing the brand’s proposition as a premium, zero-alcohol grown-up drink.
Made with just five natural ingredients, the range is 100% organic and flavours include:
Commenting on the company’s most recent accolade, a Great Taste Award 2025 (Best Natural Organic Soft Drink), Will said: “We juice extra-fiery ginger from East Africa, which we source directly and import ourselves. If you’ve ever found ordinary ginger beers too sweet or not gingery enough, this is the drink for you.”
Having sampled all four varieties, we were very impressed with the flavour profiles and the balance of the various natural ingredients. Our favourite was the lightly sparkling Ginger Beer variety, which delivered a satisfying ginger kick, balanced with lime, agave and mint.
The other three limited edition varieties – Pineapple, Passion Fruit and Mango – were equally satisfying and introduced a tropical sweetness perfectly balanced with fiery ginger.
We wish Will and his team at The Root Company well and look forward to hearing what flavour profiles they develop next.
For more information visit their website