FLVR_14 // Ross + Anna Mitchell / Castleton Farm

FLVR_14 // Ross + Anna Mitchell / Castleton Farm

PT.1

Sweet, Sustainable Scottish Flavour

We decided to switch things up a little for this run of our Flavour Series. Over the past two years, we’ve built a genuine relationship with a family-run fruit grower in Aberdeenshire whose berries sit behind some of our most exclusive sodas. From beautifully vibrant, slowly ripened raspberries to unique, against-all-odds-grown, flavour-bomb blueberries, we wanted to see what makes their fruit taste so bloody good. And why do we keep going back for more?

Ross and Anna Mitchell are the brains behind this extraordinary farm. Through generations of care, innovation, and a sustainable ethos, they’ve become masters at producing the juiciest, sweetest fruit and berries. And in turn, they make our job that little bit easier.

PT.2

North East Roots

Castleton Farm began as a small family venture in 1992 when the Mitchells inherited a few acres of land. In 2000, they invested in their first poly tunnels. In Anna’s own words, it “quite literally changed everything for soft fruit in the North East” by taking the all-seasons-in-one-day Scottish weather out of the volatile equation. Since then, they’ve added all kinds of berries, and grown arms and legs. Or perhaps bushes and canes? Today, their mix of raspberries, strawberries, cherries, and blueberries help define the flavour of Scottish summer.

Pt.3

A Helping Climate Hand

Ross - the other half of Anna - opened our palates to how Scotland’s climate gives their fruit a unique edge. “It’s very temperate here - never extreme highs or lows. The long daylight hours mean the fruit ripens slowly and develops more sugar.” That slow growth gives their berries their hallmark sweetness. It’s exactly why we work with them.

This year, we used their Maravilla raspberries for our Cranachan soda and the flavour was the berries knees. Pure and simply wonderfully wild with layers of sweetness and depth that we chase in every single can.

PT.4

Experimentation + Ethos

Our Blueberry Soda owes its core to Castleton’s Last Call variety. But blueberries weren’t a smooth sailing, naturally easy win for the farm. “It was a bit of an experiment,” Anna said. “We trialled different varieties and techniques until we made it work. As far as we know, we’re the most northerly commercial blueberry grower in the world.” That soul of innovation - trying, tweaking, perfecting - is something we share at Rapscallion. Like them, we don’t take the easy route; we obsess until flavour, technique, and process line up in harmony. Pure, honest flavour - even when it feels like pushing water up a hill, especially when Blueberries are a naughty inky bead that doesn't like easy flavour extraction.

pt.5

Sustainability Powers Flavour

At Castleton, sustainability isn’t just a word thrown around amongst the punnets - it’s how the whole place runs. “We burn wood chip to create heat and power,” Anna explains. “Fully self-sufficient through biomass and solar - we even heat the poly tunnels and accommodation for our team.”

But their sustainability starts even before the berries get a chance. As Ross puts it, “Arable crops are part of our rotation - we’re actually looking after the soil in between the fruit crops. The fruit rotates around the farm so we can move into clean, virgin sites that haven’t grown fruit before. The arable crops keep the soil healthy and ready.”

Everything connects and comes full circle: renewable energy, regenerative soil care, extended growing seasons, better fruit. That kind of joined-up thinking is what makes their produce taste right.

PT.6

Shared Values, Shared Flavour

We don’t just buy fruit from Castleton. Though technically, yeah, we do. Smart arse. But more importantly, we share a belief that flavour is the point, quality is paramount, and consistency is key. Every berry is a reflection of patience, dedication, and doing things properly - even when the odds (and weather) are against you. When that fruit lands in our dinky cans, it carries all that care with it.

If you can taste the rainbow in a bag of Skittles, you can definitely taste nature in its raw, beautiful glory in our sodas.

Go taste it for yourself in our Sweet Scottish Smooch (Cranachan) or Berry Bad Boy (Blueberry) soda. Or head up to Castleton Farm for a visit. It’s worth the trip, even if you do leave with enough blueberry jam to sink a crate of soda.