How I pivoted to a direct-to-consumer model
As health consciousness increased because of Covid-19, so did the demand for kombucha. But with shops shut, Fix8 founder Freya Twigden had to find new ways of distributing its products.
Freya Twigden was studying in China when she was introduced to kombucha, a fermented tea used in traditional Chinese medicine for its immune-boosting properties. Taken by the unique taste (“somewhere between Coca-Cola and coconut water”) she realised she couldn’t get her hands on the drink back in the UK and launched her own brand, Fix8, in 2019.
Fix8 was stocked in Selfridges, Gail’s Bakery and Coco de Mama by January 2020, but these revenues evaporated overnight during the first lockdown. Nonetheless, Fix8’s sales grew approximately 150% over the course of the year.
Twigden attributes the growth partly to the rising interest in wellness during the pandemic, pointing to upwards trends in health food, teetotalism and home workouts. Kombucha’s microbiotic properties - it contains live bacteria - position it particularly well: as searches for “immune boosting” products increased, so did Fix8’s sales.
