Rachel
3/3/2026 12:03:40 PM
4 mins read
Exciting news, Hive Mind’s Pure Honey sparkling mead can now be found throughout the Co-op stores of South Wales!
The Co-op’s proud reputation for supporting independent local community producers can be witnessed once again thanks to the arrival of Hive Mind’s Pure Sparkling Mead throughout its 70+ Welsh stores estate.
Sparkling, lower ABV meads (3.4%) are a key strand of brothers, Kit & Matt Newell’s, ‘classic drinks reimagined’ strategy to take ‘real’ mead to a younger, inquisitive audience, seeking natural, stripped back alternatives to sugary, synthetic-tasting fruit ciders.
Kit describes this ‘pinch-us’ break-through moment, hot on-the-heels of an earlier M&S listing (2025), as a key step-change moments for a rural Welsh producer seeking to harness interest in the nation’s original alcoholic beverage; a far-reaching appreciation that goes far beyond novelty, ‘honey-free’ interpretations of mead made with cheap spirit alcohol, honey flavourings, refined sugars and cheap white wine bases.
Hive Mind’s authentic mead is made with 100% home-grown honey, supporting local beekeepers who play a pivotal role in bolstering dwindling pollinator numbers. The ‘community-focused’ outlook of Co-op stores, coupled with a commitment to best-in-class, British producers, makes this local leaning retailer the perfect ‘hands on’ partner for a lightly effervescent beverage delivering light floral notes of wildflower.
Mead is already a £12m category within the UK (£650m in USA) and growing at pace and Hive Mind’s wider agenda is to take authentic, award-winning, mead made the right way (honey, water and yeast) to appreciative foodie audiences.
