Start-up Bright Barley has introduced a three-strong line of dairy-free vegan drinks made using what it say is the UK’s first alternative ‘mylk’ produced using barley.
The Bright Barlety shakes have launched in three initial flavours:
- Salted Caramel – sweetness and sea salt, paired with the natural nuttiness of barley which the brand says provides both refreshment and indulgence
- Chocolate – described as rich, chocolatey sweetness, this shake can be a chilled on-the-go treat or consumed for post-workout hydration
- Coffee – a cool pick-me-up made with the punch of Colombian Arabica beans
“Provenance and sustainability is important to both me and our target consumer, and discovering high quality barley flour grown in the UK was central to my decision to develop a barley drink,” explains founder Jiali Jiang, who says she’s on a mission to ‘bring barley back’ and reintroduce ‘the original supergrain’ – first cultivated in 10,000BC – to Britain.
The all-natural drinks use grain from selected UK organic farms, which is then ground at Shipton Mill in the Cotswolds. “So many plant-based milks have hidden environmental impacts on land and water usage or in food miles. Ours was going to be different in every way,” Jiang says.
Low in fat, high in calcium and fibre, with added vitamins D & B12, the drinks come in a 330ml format and are packaged in recyclable, paperboard Tetra Pak cartons made from renewable FSC material.
Speaking about the timing of the launch, Jiang adds: “No one could have predicted, when we were planning our launch, that this would become a global crisis. In a way, being unprepared for the pandemic and its impact was a help – we just carried on. And thanks to our fabulous production and distribution partners … and some unexpected added benefits to our commitment to sourcing locally and independently, Bright Barley has been launched on time, at the peak of a global crisis.”
