What started as a simple lemonade stand at a Somerset food festival has grown into Hullabaloos, a successful soft drinks brand known for its playful branding, natural ingredients and zingy, feel-good flavours.

Behind the scenes, Hullabaloos’ growth - led by husband-and-wife team Randa and Leigh Abdullah-Hucker - has been shaped by key support from The Food Works SW,  and its regional partners. From accreditation to brand visibility and industry connections, it’s a clear example of what happens when a strong product is backed by the right regional support.

Hullabaloos is a natural soft drinks company we started over 10 years ago. It all began with cream teas and hand-squeezed lemonade at local festivals - just me and my husband, Leigh.

We were asked by a local farm shop to bottle our lemonade - and while we thought it would be simple, we quickly realised how much we didn’t know. That’s when the idea for a fully fledged business took hold.

Our first major event was the Glastonbury Extravaganza. I booked it completely on a whim - no experience, no gazebo, nothing! It was chaotic but such a brilliant learning curve. It gave us the confidence to keep saying yes and figure it out as we went.

Everything is made with real fruit juice and no artificial sweeteners. We’re very hands-on and keep things as natural as possible. Even our labels are transparent - literally - so you can see what’s inside.

It’s very instinctive - we come up with ideas ourselves and then test them at festivals to see what people like. Raspberry was our first after classic lemonade and now we’ve got eight flavours in total, including Elderflower Presse and Wild Berry. All made with real fruit juice and no sweeteners, of course.

We’ve had brilliant help over the years. Through The Food Works’ funded programme, we accessed support to achieve SALSA certification, which was essential for landing bigger customers and distributors. A consultant came to us, reviewed our paperwork and processes and helped us prepare for a mock audit. We wouldn’t have secured many of our deals without that support.

We’ve had help with professional photography, technical advice and ongoing support. They also sell our drinks on-site and feature our products in their marketing - that kind of exposure really helps build brand recognition.

Running a small business can feel isolating, but The Food Works creates a sense of shared support. You realise you’re not the only one navigating these challenges and that’s a huge morale boost.

It’s been a non-stop year, so we’re planning to take stock and focus on expanding sustainably. We want to grow our presence with independent retailers and continue exploring international markets - while staying true to our ethos. No supermarkets for us - we want to stay special.

From festival fields to national distribution, Hullabaloos has grown through creativity, grit and strong partnerships. With The Food Works SW support at key points - from compliance to brand building - the business has scaled with both heart and professionalism. For other drink makers with big dreams, Hullabaloos proves that regional support can fuel national success.

Here, Randa tells us all about the brand and how The Food Works support has been invaluable…