For twelve years, Steph Buttery worked in the Royal Navy as an officer. As part of her job, she toured the world and, whilst stationed over in Japan, fell in love with the country’s food and drink culture.
After returning home and being unable to get her hands on the favourites she’d become accustomed to, she set out to create her own Japanese-inspired sour soft drink brand here in the UK – facing some trials and tribulations, including a global pandemic that drew her back into service, along the way.
Today, her products are stocked up and down the country in Yo Sushi! and at a number of different eateries here in Manchester, such as Cocktail Beer Ramen + Bun, Affleck’s Palace and FanBoy 3, but it hasn’t been an easy journey to get there.
“It all began when I travelled with the British Royal Navy to Tokyo where I tasted the hugely popular alcoholic drink Chūhai,” said Steph.
“I loved the taste but back in England there was nothing on the market quite like it and shipping the drink from Japan was out of the question.
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“So I set to work making the drink for myself an authentic-tasting, alcohol-free, sour fruit soft drink.”
Just when things were starting to come together for her business, the pandemic hit – leaving restaurants and stores to shut their doors as the country went into lockdown. Still, she wouldn’t let that deter her.
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But that was not the only challenge. As 95% of her business dried up overnight, to add more into the mix Steph found herself being reposted back to her previous role in the Royal Navy.
Image: Chu Lo Drinks
Whilst working as part of a military effort to ensure that lifesaving PPE could reach those in the NHS frontline who need it most, she hit upon another way to support staff working all day and night in the battle against the virus.
Already assisting the Department of Health in London in her capacity as a Navy office, she also donated 20,000 Chu Lo drinks to London NHS staff during the pandemic – having been inspired by similar donations of food by Wasabi and Bento‘s donation of 500 meals a day to NHS staff.
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At the time she said: “Naturally, while working in the Department of Health, the Chu Lo Drinks business must take a back seat.
20,000 drinks were donated to NHS staff during the height of the pandemic. / Image: Chu Lo
“Having Wasabi agree to this partnership means that Chu Lo soft drinks can do their bit towards lifting the spirits of those heroes on the frontline dealing with the worst of this crisis.
“If Chu Lo drinks can help bring a smile to those most affected during this difficult time, it will have been worth it.”
Having seen huge success already in just a few short years, Steph also recently joined Gordon Ramsay on the very first BBC series of his Apprentice-style food show, Gordon’s Future Food Stars, taking on weekly cookery and business-led challenges battling it out against other entrepreneurs.
Image: Chu Lo Drinks
Read more:Manchester entrepreneur to appear on Gordon Ramsay’s new Apprentice-style TV show
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Her Chu Lo drinks are currently available in four different sour flavours – lemon, peach, apple, and cherry – and they’re well worth seeking out.
Made using real fruit juice, the super-sour soda is low in sugar, alcohol and gluten-free, and vegan-friendly,
Find them at a range of restaurants in Manchester, or online via the Chu Lo store.
Feature image – Chu Lo
News
Two Trafford towns are set to see dozens of new EV charging points installed imminently
Danny Jones
Two big towns on the border of Greater Manchester and Cheshire are set to see a fresh batch of electric vehicle (EV) charging points installed throughout their streets by Trafford Council very soon.
Local authorities have teamed up with engineering and infrastructure company Amey to roll out a series of new EV charging stations across Trafford, starting with Altrincham and Hale.
Dating all the way back to 2020, the collaboration with Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM), the brand was tasked with helping improve sustainable travel across the area as the government body’s electric vehicle charging suppliers.
Steady improvements have been made across the 10 boroughs, but this particular update marks one of the biggest network upgrades that the likes of Alty and Hale have seen for some time.
Good news – we are thrilled to announce the installation of our first public EV charge points in collaboration with @TraffordCouncil.
Issuing a statement on Wednesday, 17 September, the firm – which specialises in managing, designing and maintaining complex facilities and transport infrastructure across the country – announced that they will “start the installation of EV charging points in Trafford in the coming weeks.”
It is expected that “up to 100 new public charges” will be integrated throughout the respective town centres and residential streets as the suburbs continues to push towards its sustainability goals.
As per Altrincham Today, Amey account director Anna Gornall said: “We’re excited to launch our first EV charge points in Trafford, working in partnership with Trafford Council (TC) to make electric vehicle charging more accessible to local communities.
“As the UK’s leading provider of energy transition and decarbonisation solutions, we’re well placed to use our existing expertise and resources to support TC in delivering a holistic public EV charging network for local communities.
“We’re helping residents make the switch, so everyone can plug in and power a greener Trafford.”
The country at large has various carbon-free initiatives, including the aspiration of achieving net-zero emissions by 2050; the electoral ward of Trafford itself continues to thrive in this field, having recently won environmental accolades, including 12 ‘Green Flag Awards’ this past July.
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Peter Anderson, Managing Director of Transport Infrastructure at Amey, commented: “This is a pivotal moment in Amey’s energy transition strategy. By leveraging our extensive experience in whole lifecycle asset management, strong partnerships, and innovative solutions, we can deliver value for both our clients and members of the public who will use Amey’s electric vehicle charge points.
“Working with Trafford Council, we are making electric vehicle charging more accessible to local communities and helping residents make the switch to EVs.
“Amey is well-positioned to support emerging opportunities within this landscape, and we are delighted to be working with Trafford and other local authorities to provide the public EV infrastructure needed to achieve the government’s transition to net zero.”
As for Trafford Council, Corporate Director of Place, Richard Roe, went on to add: “We are delighted to be working with Amey on this project to bring more and better charging options to the people of Trafford.
“This is an extension to the current EV charging options in the borough and is great news for committed EV owners and those who are thinking about going electric.”
Featured Images — Publicity pictures (via Amey Ltd)
News
Further disruption expected as more bus strikes announced across Greater Manchester
Emily Sergeant
Further disruption is expected as even more bus strikes have been announced across Greater Manchester this autumn.
It comes after the strikes set to place this month from 19 to 22 September were announced a couple of weeks back, and now a second round will take place towards the end of this month and going into early October.
In case this is the first you’re hearing of the upcoming industrial action, 2,000 workers who are employed by Stagecoach, Metroline Manchester, and First Bus Rochdale – all of which are firms among those that make up the bus part of the Bee Network – are due to walk out in a co-ordinated strike amid an ongoing pay dispute.
Unite the Union says all the firms are ‘highly profitable’ and it’s therefore ‘disappointing’ that workers are being denied a fair wage.
More strikes have been announced on the Bee Network this month / Credit: TfGM
At Stagecoach, around 1,000 drivers based across the Oldham, Stockport, and Middleton depots have rejected a pay offer of 3.5%, and 1,000 Metroline Manchester members will also do the same after turning down an ‘unsatisfactory’ below-inflation pay offer.
Workers at both Metroline and Stagecoach believe the offer doesn’t address years of low pay they’ve recieved, especially given the ongoing cost of living crisis.
Then, over at First Bus Rochdale, 110 members have rejected this year’s pay offer of 6%, as they feel this does not go far enough to address the fact they’ve had years of being paid less than their counterparts at other companies, and are still the lowest paid in the region.
Stagecoach, Metroline, and First Bus Rochdale, part of First Group PLC, are all firms which have seen a rise in profits in recent years.
2,000 drivers are set to stage strike action over two different periods / Credit: TfGM
The second round of strikes will now take place from from 30 September to 2 October.
Speaking ahead of both sets of upcoming strikes, Unite General Secretary, Sharon Graham, said: “These companies are very profitable but are putting greed over their hardworking members of staff.
“Further strike action will be extremely disruptive, however this is a dispute entirely of the bus companies’ making and they could solve it easily by coming back with a better deal.
“Our members involved in the dispute have Unite’s complete support.”
Unite Regional Officer, Colin Hayden, added: “The strikes this week as well as the further action we have called will cause travel chaos in Greater Manchester. However, it is entirely the fault of the employers involved, who have failed to address the issue of low pay and reward their staff accordingly.
Georgina Pellant -
22nd April 2022 
