The approach to bottlegreen’s factory in the heart of the Cotswolds inspires a symphony of senses.

Creamy white elderflowers dot the hedgerows with an uplifting aroma of citrus, pear and lychee to remind you summer is finally here.

Walk a little further and, camouflaged by nature, you’ll find the factory established by husband and wife team Kit and Shireen Morris almost 40 years ago.

Both were cider and winemakers until a kitchen cordial sideline in their native Gloucestershire rapidly outgrew demand for the English tipples.

The Frogmarsh Mill site near Stroud has an onsite borehole that provides great, natural spring water. This enhances the other ingredients used in bottlegreen’s drinks to create the unique liquid profiles.

Hand-crafted with traditional techniques

After manual picking, the flavour is extracted – again by hand. Then a closely guarded secret process involving steeping and filtration creates the cordial syrup that accounts for a third of the millions of litres of liquid produced each year.

Ten flavour lines including Plump Summer Raspberry and Refreshing Lime and Mint are joined by the sparkling pressé range in five glass and can sizes.

The bottlegreen brand has cemented its position as the best-selling adult cordial brand thanks to its intense flavour and ‘little goes a long way’ selling point, says Brand Manager Sasha McLaughlin.

“Our cordials and pressés are crafted in the Cotswolds with the factory and its grounds playing a key role in creating the premium aesthetic,” she adds.

Where the business can’t source ingredients locally, they ensure only the highest quality elements – including pomegranate, ginger and passion fruit – are responsibly sourced and delivered.

The team is keeping alive a long bottlegreen tradition of making elderflower cordial, brought to life in a high quality rebrand that reflects the range’s premium appeal for the modern market.

The first drink produced was a Citrus Cordial made from orange, lemon and lime, but the elderflower line was the brand’s springboard for success. So much so that the head buyer from Waitrose even visited the site himself to see the operation first hand.

Sustainability and taste

Site Manager Dave Smith says the firm’s credentials of using no artificial sweeteners, colourings and only natural sugars make it a compelling healthier choice.

“There are no nasties in our drinks and that has always been the foundation for what we do from the start. As a responsible business we’re now adding layers of sustainability to that.”

Solar panels and an ongoing project to recycle the borehole water are all helping propel the company towards its net zero goal, along with 100% recyclable waste and renewable energy use in the business. All glass used to make the iconic bottle is UK sourced.

This year also marks an expansion into canned formats after bottlegreen’s popular pressés launched in cans in March, while Rocks – the no‑nasties squash brand also produced at the bottlegreen mill – introduced a new ready‑to‑drink canned range in May. Both launches are designed to meet rising demand for casual, on‑the‑go occasions.

Dave says: “That’s an exciting new direction but the same quality and attention to premium detail still applies, just as it always has for over three decades.”