- Wednesday 11th March 2026
Small batches
“Small batch” appears on so many food and drink labels these days that I'm not sure it always tells you very much.
For Soruhl, it's still quite literal.
We make relatively small quantities in Stockholm, and I'm very close to the process. I know that won't always be practical if Soruhl grows in the way I want it to, but I'm glad this is how the business started.
It's taught me things I don't think I could have learnt from a spreadsheet or a production report.
You notice the details
When you're making small-batch drinks, you spend a lot of time with the ingredients.
You notice the aroma when fresh ginger is prepared and how it changes once it's infused. You see what happens to hibiscus as it releases its colour. You learn when the spices are beginning to dominate and when something needs a little more time.
You also become very aware that natural ingredients aren't completely uniform.
Ginger is ginger, but one batch isn't necessarily identical to another. That's part of working with real ingredients, and it's one reason tasting remains so important.
Being this close to production has shaped my understanding of Soruhl. I don't just know what the finished drink is supposed to taste like. I've learnt how it gets there.
I don't want Soruhl to stay small
This is probably where my view of small-batch production differs from some of the romantic language around craft food and drink.
I don't think doing everything by hand automatically makes something better.
And I don't want Soruhl to remain tiny simply so I can say it's handmade.
As the business grows, production will need to change. I want better equipment. I want greater capacity. And when the time is right, working with the right production partner may make much more sense than trying to do everything myself.
Growth can improve consistency and allow Soruhl to reach people I simply can't reach at the moment.
What matters is knowing which parts of the process are important enough to protect as that happens.
For me, that's the attention to flavour, the quality of the ingredients and the willingness to stop when something doesn't taste right.
Small-batch production isn't the destination for Soruhl.
It's where I learnt how I want the drink to be made.