Root2Ginger: From Family Kitchen to Fortnum & Mason

How a childhood recipe, family resilience and community spirit created one of Britain’s boldest drinks brands.

Ideas at 2 a.m.

Founder of Root2Ginger, Deanne Blake

Some brands start with spreadsheets. Root2Ginger started with a grater, a kitchen full of noise, and a little girl determined to keep up with her mum and aunties.

“I loved the gathering in the kitchen and Mummy would always find a job for me to do,” says founder Deanne Blake.

“When I was old enough she would give me the ginger to grate on a sharp metal hammer-punched grater. I felt my life was in my hands and it was not unusual for me to see blood as my knuckles swiped across the grater… I loved the taste of ginger beer as a child.”

That taste never left her. For 25 years Deanne made ginger drinks for friends and family at Christmas, until one day she realised she had something bigger on her hands. “After making my drinks for over 25 years and gifting them to family and friends at Christmas I decided to make an organic natural ginger drink using premium ingredients and Root2Ginger was born.”

The idea wouldn’t let her go. “I sat at my desk for about three months waking at 2–3 a.m. in the morning to journal all my ideas for the brand before I started work. I felt inspired, I was excited and bursting with ideas… it released a creative side of me that had been missing.”

Family at the Core

From day one, Root2Ginger has been family-run in the truest sense. Deanne’s three children: Adisa, Diallo and Dene aren’t just sounding boards; they’re partners in every decision.

“It is generally me or me and my children,” she says. “I keep them up to date on all major decisions with the business and they all have an input. We hold each other accountable and share our wins. We are all invested in the business and work together to get tasks done and meet deadlines.”

Production days feel less like work and more like family life – music on, jokes flying, bottles filling. “We maintain our tradition of working together, laughing, playing music and being a family whilst we manufacture just as we would when we cook together at home.”

Memory Bottled

In Deanne’s Jamaican household, recipes weren’t written down. “Over the years I made each batch from memory and taste. Nothing was written down.”

When she decided to bottle Root2Ginger, she spent six months fine-tuning every detail, the right ginger, the right sugars, the right texture. “When I was happy with the flavour and viscosity, I had products tested for shelf life. Any hesitation I had about people being ready to buy a natural product without any artificial ingredients were quickly dispelled.”

The gamble paid off immediately. “Our first day at a local market was a hit and within 1½ years we became so busy that I had to make the decision to resign from my job in order to really build our brand.”

Root2Ginger in Fiery, Spiced, Mint, Fierce

Ginger and Culture

Ginger, for Deanne, has always been tied to family life. “On Friday night we had patties and ginger beer and the fridge was stocked with cans of Old Jamaica ginger beer which back in the day was really spicy. This also went along with carrot juice, pineapple punch and Guinness punch as regular weekend Sunday dinner drinks in our household.”

Customers recognise it instantly. “People are impressed with the fiery kick of our drinks and the fact that they are 100% organic. It is lovely when they start a sentence ‘ooh this tastes just like what my Grandma used to make…’ or we get comments like ‘that takes me right back home to Jamaica.’”

Root2Ginger 3 x 50ml, Fiery, Spiced and Mint

The Highs and the Hard Lows

Root2Ginger’s momentum built quickly: awards, fans, and then the milestone moment of being stocked at Fortnum & Mason.

But then came the fire.

“It was devastating for us as we were heavily stocked for the forthcoming summer events… and found out we would not be covered for this by our insurance. We had also lost all that we owned for the business including lots of sentimental things that were a record of our journey.”

Even in that moment, Deanne didn’t flinch. “Absolutely not, nor did my children, they immediately gave me dates they were free to manufacture and set about looking for new storage premises. I was proud of their resilience that first week; we comforted each other by spending a lot of time together and we got through.”

The community stepped up too. “Customers were amazing, they continued to order even though we explained they would have to wait several weeks… we also had several donations via our website. The orders and donations gave us the cashflow to get back on our feet.”

What’s in the Bottle

Today, Root2Ginger is thriving. The line-up is bold, layered and unapologetic:

• Fiery — the original, the signature.

• Fierce — more ginger, more kick.

• Spiced — Ceylon cinnamon, cardamom, star anise, pimento.

• Mint — crisp and cooling.

• Sorrel — hibiscus with pimento.

• Turmeric & Ginger — sugar-free, supplement style.

And it’s not just for sipping straight. “Our first private event where we made a range of cocktails with Root2Ginger for 150 residents in Manchester was a huge success,” says Deanne. “It was the driver for me to achieve a personal licence to sell alcohol — something I never expected to do when I started this journey.”

Beyond the Business

There’s no such thing as a routine day. “Normal day! What I like is that days are wide and varied,” says Deanne. “I can be doing orders for ingredients, scheduling events, booking accommodation, speaking to buyers, presenting a pitch, finalising designs for labels or events and marketing. We do a wide range of events from local markets to events with 20,000 daily footfall. On other days we are busy manufacturing or in our new warehouse.”

It can be relentless, but she wouldn’t trade it. “The hardest part is being a single Founder. This can be a lonely business. I absolutely love what I do so sometimes it is hard to put the ball down. I don’t see enough of my friends and family due to the demands of the business but they are great at making me stop or turning up at events to surprise us.”

And at the heart of it all? “It’s not just a drink,” she says. “It’s our family’s story in liquid form. It’s resilience, tradition and joy – bottled.”

Root2Ginger Fiery

Root2Ginger x The Lemon Seed Project

We’ve been lucky to have Root2Ginger as a drink sponsor of The Lemon Seed Project twice. Each time, their fiery, organic drinks have lit up our events just as they’ve lit up their community: with culture, family and flavour at the core.

✨ Discover the full Root2Ginger range at www.Root2Ginger.co.uk 

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