We have grown a fantastic and loyal customer base who love our drinks but we understand that some people may be reluctant to buy a large bottle if they haven’t tried Crossip before,”​ said Brown.

Green Cola was launched in 2012 in Greece by Founder Pericles Venieris, an entrepreneur with a career of over 30 years in the soft drink industry. It is sold in over 40 countries throughout Europe and beyond. This cookie is set by OneSignal push notifications and is used for storing user preferences in connection with their notification permission status.

Stevia is a high quality, safe sweetener and for decades high purity stevia extracts have been approved for use in foods and beverages in many countries including Japan. In the last five years, leading food safety and regulatory agencies across the world have issued positive safety opinions on the safe use of purified stevia extracts in foods and beverages. Green Beverages Group will aim to become a global leader in the better-for-you market following the deal, tapping into the growing demand for natural and healthier beverages. Green Cola UK came into being when I met up with Periklis Venieris, the founder of Green Cola in Greece, and agreed that there was a big opportunity outside its home country. Both Periklis and I shared a view that there is a massive latent and growing demand for great tasting cola without preservatives and aspartame sweetener, and we hatched a plan to launch in the UK. Are we advocates of the sugar tax? This cookie is set by Advanced Ads and sets geo-location, user role and user capabilities. It is used by cache busting in Advanced Ads Pro when the appropriate visitor conditions are used.

Stevia is a natural sweetener extracted from the Stevia Rebaudiana plant, native to South America where tribes have used it for over 1500 years. It is 150-200 times sweeter than sugar, so a little goes a long way. Over the coming months, the new venture will focus on strengthening the position of its brands in several existing markets, including the UK, Middle East and the US. The group, which has routes to market in the 46 countries, will also seek opportunities to launch into new territories, including Asia, Australia and South America. Meanwhile, Telsón Reposado Tequila (40% ABV) is aged for three months in French Oak barrels. “This variation features balanced aromas of vanilla, caramel and cooked agave with a smooth and sweet taste that hints at oak, vanilla, light spice notes, ginger, and caramel with a complex and long-lasting finish.”​ Green Beverages Group CEO Periklis Venieris said the venture brought “significantly” increased scale and reach to capitalise on international growth opportunities and build on its existing presence around the world. Over the last few months, we have personally talked to over 5,000 people about Green Cola at various events across the country.

Just how big is the sugar free trend at the moment?

Today we are extremely proud to say that the Green Cola brand contains no sugar, aspartame, phosphoric acid, or preservatives and is naturally sweetened with stevia – even the caffeine in our cola is natural, sourced from green coffee beans. Just how big is the sugar free trend at the moment? Certainly, big international brands will always have a place, but creating a genuine bond with local consumers and engaging with them has become a must.

Venice Peach’ hard kombucha is brewed with organic Dragonwell Green Tea, sustainably-sourced honey, organic peach puree and organic grape juice, while Nelson Sauvin hops provide a subtle hop character.By combining Green Cola’s innovative, disruptive approach with the strong heritage of the Chitos Group, we believe we can develop into one of the world’s leading non-alcoholic beverage companies. Under the group, we have the scale and expertise to further accelerate our growth around the world.” Greek beverage businesses Green Cola and Chitos have partnered to create a UK-headquartered drinks group to pursue ambitious international growth plans. If the imposition of the sugar tax results in the acceleration of innovation towards developing healthier options for consumers, that can only be a good thing. With the addition of the two new sugar-free flavors, Zoa will discontinue two sugar-sweetened flavors, Original and Lemon Lime.