Waitrose to stock birch water
Following on from the big trend for coconut water, Waitrose has said it has become the first UK supermarket to stock birch water.
Already popular in America, birch water is a drink tapped from mature silver birch trees.
Waitrose has launched birch water from the brand Sibberi whose drink contains only pure birch sap collected from birch trees in Finland, Latvia and Lithuania.
The supermarket said the drink is low in calories and contains naturally occurring antioxidant compounds. Although it has a sweet flavour from naturally occurring xylitol, the drink has a low sugar content and contains five calories per 100ml, which is four times fewer calories than coconut water.
Waitrose is hoping that the drink will become the next coconut water, which first launched in the supermarket in 2010. Sales of coconut water are currently up 62% at Waitrose.
Waitrose juice buyer, Nicola Jones, said: “Drinking a bottle of birch water may raise a few eyebrows but coconut water was once considered a fad and is now very much an everyday drink for many shoppers. Tree water has been a big trend in America and we think it will appeal to those wanting a refreshing change to water but that is still low in calories.”
Sibberi Birch Water is priced at £2.49 for 250ml.
