For Hip Pop, the next chapter is not just about getting more people to drink kombucha. It is about showing how far the brand has already moved beyond it.
The Manchester-based drinks brand started out in kombucha, but has since grown into a broader functional drinks business spanning sodas, CBD drinks and kombucha. Its products are now stocked in major UK supermarkets including Sainsbury’s, Tesco, Waitrose, Morrisons, Co-op, M&S, Ocado and Booths, as well as premium retailers including Fortnum & Mason and Harrods.
That growth has been rapid, with Hip Pop expanding its retail listings by 450% in just two years. Alongside a major film partnership with the upcoming summer blockbuster Supergirl, the brand is quickly moving into a more mainstream stage.
For CEO Matt Bowler-Jones, that progress has created a useful moment of reflection. As Hip Pop grows, the question is not only how far the brand can go, but how it keeps hold of the personality that made it distinctive in the first place.
For Bowler-Jones, that question is closely tied to place. Hip Pop’s edge has always come from staying close to its roots, with Manchester’s character, confidence and sense of humour still running through the way the brand shows up. The Manchester-born drinks brand has already built a national retail presence, with products stocked in major supermarkets including Sainsbury’s, Waitrose, Morrisons and M&S, expanding its retail listing by over 450% in just 2 years.
“My family’s from Manchester,” Bowler-Jones says. “My granddad went to the first ever Manchester City game at Maine Road, and I went to the last ever game at the same ground. The city of Manchester is part of Hip Pop’s DNA, and it always has been.”
That sense of place has become more important as the business has grown. Hip Pop needed a workplace that could support the practical needs of a scaling consumer brand, while keeping the team connected to the character, culture and Manchester roots behind it.
Of course, a hybrid world made the workplace decision more important. The office also needed to give people a reason to come in, support the way the team worked and help the business show up properly as it became more visible.
For Hip Pop, they needed a base that could keep up with the brand, without sanding off the Manchester character that made it stand out.
A base that kept working as the business grew
That is where Department at Bonded Warehouse has played a key role for the whole business.
Set in Manchester’s St John’s district, Department at Bonded Warehouse is a reimagined 1800s railway goods warehouse and part of the former Granada Studios estate. Today, it has been brought back into use as a workplace destination for ambitious creative, digital and commercial businesses just like Hip Pop.
For Hip Pop, the fit was immediate. The building gave the team the central Manchester location they needed, but it also had the character, movement and creative energy that made it feel right for the brand.
“We instantly felt a part of everything,” Bowler-Jones says. “We were part of the fabric. Just getting to walk around and see the careful work that’s been done to these Victorian-era buildings every day is just so cool.”
The building’s history also carried a personal connection for the team. When Bowler-Jones was younger, his father was based out of Bonded Warehouse as part of Granada Studios’ props team, contributing to the creative machinery that helped shape Manchester’s on-screen identity for decades.
So, there is a full-circle quality to Hip Pop building from that same part of the city now. Bowler-Jones and the team are growing a Manchester brand from a place his family already had a connection to, while becoming part of the city’s current creative chapter.
But even as Hip Pop has grown, that fit has continued to hold. Department at Bonded Warehouse gives the team access to a wider creative community, with workshops, shared spaces and other businesses creating a working environment where people and conversations naturally cross over.
For a consumer brand with a strong personality, that atmosphere has practical value. It gives Hip Pop somewhere active and social, as well as somewhere credible to host partners, collaborators and visitors.
“It’s great to have conversations here – not only with the people who work here but the people you bring in for visits or meetings,” Bowler-Jones says. “You can bring anyone in here, and they will instantly be impressed. It’s just a really good environment all the time.”
For Hip Pop, Department has offered them the vital combination of Manchester character, a wider creative community and a workplace experience that has been able to support the business as it has grown.
The impact
For Hip Pop, the value of being part of Department at Bonded Warehouse has shown up most clearly in how the workplace supports the business day to day.
For a growing drinks brand, practical needs can quickly become distractions. Deliveries, visitors and changing space requirements are all part of the reality of growth, and Bowler-Jones says the Department team has made those moments easier to manage.
“If you walk past the desk and see the team, they’re always so friendly, so happy,” he says. “We’ve had loads of deliveries recently, and it’s never a problem. They’re always asking if they can do this and that to help us and are just completely flexible – it’s great!”
That flexibility became particularly useful as soon as Hip Pop moved offices within the building. Rather than the move becoming another operational pressure, the Department team helped make the transition smoother and gave the business the support it needed to keep moving without losing focus.
“Even when we moved offices, the team was so supportive and couldn’t do enough to help everything go as smoothly as possible,” Bowler-Jones says. “Everything they did just made our lives a lot easier.”
That kind of support is a big part of why Department at Bonded Warehouse works so well for Hip Pop to this day. The building brings real character and atmosphere, while Department’s hands-on service makes the space practical for the day-to-day needs of a growing consumer brand.
It means the team can stay focused on building the business, rather than spending time managing the workspace around them.
Growing in the right place
For Hip Pop, being a part of Department at Bonded Warehouse has become a vital part of how the business is preparing for its next stage.
The brand is already stocked in major supermarkets, but its story is no longer about kombucha alone. Hip Pop started out as a kombucha-only brand and has since developed into a broader healthy hydration brand, with offerings across three key areas: sodas, CBD drinks and kombucha. Bowler-Jones describes the opportunity ahead as one built around “healthy hydration”, with new products and wider consumer partnerships helping the brand reach a more mainstream audience.
The focus now is on building from those kombucha roots while continuing to innovate across the wider Hip Pop range. “We’ve done a load of work on our vision around healthy hydration. If somebody wants to drink healthily, what could that be?”
For Bowler-Jones, that ambition still needs the right environment behind it, which is why Department at Bonded Warehouse remains central to Hip Pop’s growth.
“You’ve always got to be mindful of your location,” he says. “Manchester has so much to offer for the whole team, and Department distils that into one place.”
For Hip Pop, the value is in the combination: the character of a Manchester landmark, the energy of a wider business community and the practical support to keep moving as the brand becomes more mainstream.
That has helped the team stay connected to its roots while building for a bigger stage. It has given Hip Pop a place to come together, host well and keep momentum without losing the personality that made the brand stand out.
For Hip Pop, Department at Bonded Warehouse gives that growth a home.
