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A row of finished drinks cans produced by Lovely Developments

Drink development · Short-run production · Technical support

Turning drink ideas into commercially viable products.

Lovely Developments helps drinks brands create, refine, test and produce high-quality beverages, from first recipe work through to short-run canning, bottling, compliance and lab testing.

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Based near Bristol

SALSA-approved facility supporting drink start-ups, established brands, agencies and companies needing fast, practical product development.

Useful when you need:

Samples for buyers, event stock, retailer trials, recipe refinement, small launch runs or technical support before scaling up.

Award-winning experience

Over 17 years in the drinks industry, with experience developing and producing Great Taste award-winning products.

Commercially focused

We develop recipes with production, ingredient supply, cost, shelf life, stability and packaging format in mind.

Flexible support

We can help with one stage of a project or support the whole journey from concept to finished product.

What we can help with

Whether you already have a recipe or only an early idea, we can help turn it into a drink that tastes good, can be made reliably and is realistic to produce.

Recipe development

  • New drink recipes from scratch
  • Flavour, sweetness, acidity and mouthfeel balancing
  • Low-sugar and sugar-free development
  • Functional, botanical and premium soft drinks

Recipe refinement

  • Convert kitchen recipes into commercial recipes
  • Simplify recipes for production
  • Improve consistency, stability and shelf life
  • Adapt recipes for cans, bottles or larger runs

Ingredient sourcing

  • Juices, concentrates, extracts and flavours
  • Natural colours and sweeteners
  • Botanicals, hydrosols and distillates
  • Supplier documents, specifications and allergens

Short-run production

  • Canning in a range of sizes
  • Bottling in different formats
  • Still and carbonated drinks
  • Small launch runs, trials and development batches

Compliance support

  • Ingredient declarations and allergens
  • Label information and nutrition guidance
  • pH, preservation and shelf-life considerations
  • Technical data sheets and production notes

Lab testing

  • Microbiological testing coordination
  • Shelf-life and stability testing
  • Testing through UKAS-accredited laboratories
  • Results to support safety and product confidence

Need samples quickly?

We can often offer a quick turnaround on short production runs for brands needing samples for events, trade shows, buyer meetings, investor presentations or retailer discussions.

This allows you to present a finished, professional product without committing to a large production run too early. Timelines depend on the recipe, packaging, ingredients and testing requirements, but we are used to helping clients move quickly when there is a clear deadline.

Drinks we can help develop

We work across a wide range of soft drinks, functional drinks, mixers and RTDs.

  • Premium soft drinks, mixers and tonics
  • Non-alcoholic spirits and RTDs
  • Vodka-based and alcoholic RTDs
  • Iced teas, yerba mate and botanical drinks
  • Functional and adaptogenic beverages
  • Flavoured waters and low-sugar drinks
  • Spiked sodas, sparkling drinks and still drinks
A gin and tonic style drink being prepared at Lovely Developments

Botanical and ingredient research

Alongside drink development, we can support more experimental botanical and ingredient work, including small-scale plant distillation, hydrosol production, botanical extraction trials and flavour exploration from herbs, flowers and plants.

This is particularly useful for brands looking to create something distinctive using natural, botanical or field-to-bottle ingredients.

Who we work with

We support start-ups, existing drinks brands, hospitality groups, agencies, wellness companies and businesses looking to launch or improve a beverage product.

Some clients come to us with a detailed brief and target specification. Others have a rough idea, a kitchen sample or a flavour they want to bring to life.

How projects usually work

Initial discussion

We review the product idea, target market, packaging format, production goals and budget.

Scope and proposal

We agree the support needed, such as recipe development, refinement, testing or short-run production.

Recipe and samples

We create or refine the drink, produce samples and make adjustments based on feedback.

Technical review

We consider pH, shelf life, allergens, nutrition, label information and production method.

Trial production

Where required, we produce a short run for market testing, launch stock or buyer samples.

Documentation

We can provide recipe sheets, technical data sheets, production notes and lab results where applicable.

Pricing

Every project is different, so pricing depends on the scope of work, complexity of the recipe, ingredients, packaging format, testing requirements and production volume.

Typical factors include the number of products or flavours, level of recipe development required, ingredient complexity, whether lab testing is needed, packaging format, production volume and the level of technical documentation required.

Once we understand the project, we can provide a clear proposal or quotation.

Ready to discuss a drink project?

Tell us a little about what you are working on and we’ll come back to arrange a discovery call.