This Boutique Beverage Company is Shaking Up Australia’s Soft Drink Industry

Scott Giles never planned to change the way Australians look at carbonated beverages. He didn’t even make soft drinks when Mischief Brew launched a decade ago; back then, he was busy bottling cold brew coffee in the back of a share house. But as the business grew, he moved to ever-larger sites until he found himself overseeing a production facility that housed several independent non-alcoholic beverage producers.

By that time he’d begun to lose his passion for the coffee business, which he describes as “a really tricky industry to be in, and one that can also be somewhat one-dimensional.” So it was the perfect time to meet Dan Cox, a former bartender who helped to reinvigorate the business by convincing Scott to explore some new avenues.

Dan’s background in bars made mixers an obvious place to start. “There were around 110 gin distilleries in South Australia and not too many people making tonic,” explains Scott. “Most people were mixing with Fever Tree tonic water out of the UK, so our first swing was our tonic number one.” Buoyed by the success of that initial product, the pair developed more mixers and “took it from being a single product to a complete non-alc portfolio that now has 14 skews, and we no longer do any coffee whatsoever!”

The Mischief Brew range now includes three contrasting tonics, a gently spiced cola with a hint of citrus, a quandong soda with white aspen and strawberry gum and even a non-alcoholic cocktail. The Aperitivo Spritz was a pet project of Dan’s and features a shopping list of ingredients that combine to create a deliciously bitter, complex flavour. Pitched as both a replacement for alcoholic beverages and a mixer with liqueurs or gin, it’s an avatar for Mischief Brew’s mission to bring complex, adult flavours to the soft drink sector.

As interstate distribution has expanded, production has increased and the business recently moved to a larger production facility in the former Wholly Belly site at 24 Magill Road. But Scott is adamant that Mischief Brew will always be proudly small batch, natural and independent, making all extractions in-house and blending each batch individually rather than using syrups.

Instead, expansion will come in the form of yet more product lines, which will be guided by gaps in the range as well as the two managing directors’ personal tastes. “We told ourselves we'd stop a year and a half ago,” laughs Scott. “And I just think now that it won't ever end!”

Regular collaborations (including some from unexpected avenues) help to bring in plenty of new ideas, and Scott’s current favourite was dreamed up with Melbourne hot sauce legend Mat’s Hot Shop. The Piña Picante expertly balances sweetness with lime for acidity and a little kick from red habanero peppers. And though the brand will always offer a range of non-alcoholic options, Scott hints that there are “some really, really cool projects in the works where we have collaborated with alcohol producers.”

As well as a production facility, the new site will include a first for the brand – a retail space where the public can come in and try the products. The tasting room will also host wholesale customers and “we’ll have staff in here who can walk clients through tastings and explain the products. So if people want to come in to crack some cans and have a chat about what they'd like to mix it with, we're more than happy to do that.”

In addition to acting as a showcase for the brand, Scott hopes the new Mischief HQ will also become a gathering place for his new neighbours. “We'd love to engage with more local businesses,” he says. “That could mean talking about setting up a wholesale account, or they might just have some cool ideas about something they want to do – either way, we’d love to tee up those chats.”

The Mischief Brew retail space will be open from 10-4 Wednesday to Friday and 10-2 on Saturday.

You can keep track of upcoming events via the Mischief Brew Instagram page or by joining the mailing on their website