Foodie must-read Waitrose Food Illustrated made us their "Very Important Producer" of the month. We had lots of fun sprinkling herbs in little heaps on a table. Then we had to look "serious" for the camera, whilst crouching to knee-height. So this is VIP-dom...
To ensure their natural energy drinks are full of the right stuff, the founders of Firefly Tonics are updating their herbal know-how.
Harry Briggs (left) and Marcus Waley-Cohen don't look like the sort of chaps who rhapsodise about sea buckthorn or burdock. But then they are the founders of natural energy drinks company Firefly Tonics, and in fact, their knowledge of obscure herbs and botanicals is undeniably impressive.
The two friends launched Firefly in 2003 as a response to the highly caffeinated and sugary energy drinks so popular at the time. The pair consulted leading Western and Chinese herbalists to develop a range of remedies packed with fruits and herbs instead of suygar and caffeine. The results include a drink called Sharpen Up, with grapefruit, passionfruit and South Aemrican herb yerba mate; Wake Up, with peach and green tea; and De-tox, which, along with lemon, lime and ginger, includes angelica, sarsparilla and nettle - hangover heaven.
Harry and Marcus often revise the ingredients of their tonics: "We constantly look at our drinks to see if we can improve them", says Marcus. "We keep abreast of what's new and look for herbs that can do the job even better." Most recently in line for a revamp was Detox. "We wanted to give it even more of a kick," says Harry, so they added the ideal post-party-season ingredient: burdock, believed by herbalists to help reduce levels of toxins in the body.
"We also added these wonderful sea buckthorn berries from Germany and Scandinavia", Harry enthuses. "They look and taste like sloes- and in Denmark, people eat sea buckthorn berries when they have a cold."