Top Brewery’s ‘Fizzibly Refreshing’ Way to Add Healthy Fibre to Your Daily Diet
Multi-award-winning Whitewater Brewery, FoodNI member, in Castlewellan, Co
Down has developed a novel range of fibre-boosting drinks.
Led by managing director Bernard Sloan, the brewery, famed for its craft ales and
stout, has created the new three-strong range of Fybre branded fruit flavoured
canned drinks designed to provide a refreshing way to increase healthy fibre in-take.
The probiotic drinks come in three flavours – Berry Zing, Ginger Bite, and Lemon
and Lime. They are suitable for vegans and vegetarians and offer reduced sugar, are
gluten-free, have no artificial sweeteners, and help to promote healthy gut bacteria.
A can of the new range can add around 25 percent of the recommended daily fibre
in-take, according to the company.
Launched in the Food NI Food Pavilion at the recent Balmoral Show, the new drinks
are the outcome of research over two years by Bernard Sloan, a dairy engineer by
profession, and his team, also behind the successful introduction of a range of Hard
Selzer drinks a couple of years ago. Hard Selzer is a low-calorie sparkling water
made from carbonated water, alcohol, and natural fruit flavourings.
All the company’s beverages are crafted and canned on-site at Castlewellan.
A keen watcher of market trends for alcohol and other drinks, Bernard says the new
Fybre range is a direct response to the growing demand, especially among young
adults, for functional beverages and other foods.
“We’ve been researching the trend towards functional drinks and food which are
designed to help people add fibre to their diet. Importantly, research shows that 96
percent of people in the UK do not meet their daily fibre recommendation and this
can influence a range of health conditions,” says Bernard, among the most
respected and successful personalities in Irish brewing. Whitewater is now Ireland’s
largest independent brewer.
“Functional beverages reflect the global trend from simple refreshment to health
benefits. Overall, it seems that younger people in particular are reducing their alcohol
consumption and/or seeking refreshing alternatives,” he adds.
Functional beverages tend to be non-alcoholic drinks formulated with added
ingredients—like vitamins, herbs, or probiotics—to provide positive health benefits
beyond basic hydration. These drinks are often designed for specific wellness
purposes, such as boosting energy, aiding digestion, or enhancing mental focus.
The National Diet and Nutrition Survey found that more than 90 percent of adults in
the UK do not consume enough fibre. Eating enough fibre can reduce the risk of
heart disease, stroke, Type 2 diabetes, bowel cancer, and improve blood pressure
and cholesterol levels. Only four percent of women and 13 percent of men aged 19-
64 consume the recommended daily adult amount of 30g of fibre.
Whitewater’s novel Fybre drinks are basically sodas that feature fibre carefully
dissolved from a powder and blended with natural flavourings – berries, ginger, and
lemon and lime – to create a refreshing and healthy taste experience.
The new range has already attracted the attention of leading retail ‘giants’ here and
from further afield. It’s a unique development for the brewery, which celebrates its
30 th anniversary later this year.
Fybre is the latest innovation from Bernard and Whitewater Brewery, an enterprise
that proved a market leader and a flexible business model that’s based in one of the
most modern production plants in Ireland.
Whitewater has won a host of awards for its brews including a prestigious UK Great
Taste Golden Fork for Northern Ireland and achieved market success through a
focus on coming up with original taste experiences. It has worked closely – and
continues to work – with customers and collaborators here and other parts of the
world.
The brewery was originally formed in 1996 by Bernard in old farm buildings at Kilkeel
in county Down, just a few miles from the purpose-built Castlewellan premises. The
company produces bottle-conditioned beers and ales and also supplies products in
kegs to customers throughout Ireland.
Whitewater has a portfolio of award-winning ales, lagers and stouts, several of which
have won international acclaim including International Brewing Challenge medals
and UK Great Taste Awards for products such as its Belfast Brew (ABV4.6%) and
Germanic style Hoppelhammer (ABV6%).
Most of the products are on sale in holets, bars and off-licences in Northern Ireland
and the Republic of Ireland. Additionally, Whitewater has won business in Europe
and China. The family-owned company has also been approached to consider
supplying its beers to the US.
The company, in addition, distributes the award-winning Tempted range of bottled
ciders produced by David Nelson, one of Northern Ireland’s leading producers of
apple juices and ciders.
