DETROIT (WXYZ) — A Detroit brewery is expanding beyond beer to meet growing demand for healthier beverage options, partnering with Wayne State University to develop a low-calorie, fiber-rich soda.
Batch Brewing Company on Detroit's east side has launched Güt Soda, a non-alcoholic beverage that CEO Stephen Roginson says represents the changing landscape of consumer preferences.
Watch the video report below:
"My job as the owner of a brewery is to come up with ways to get people to come in," Roginson said.
The brewery has developed three flavors of the low-calorie, low-sugar, fiber-rich soda. The latest offerings — blackberry lemon and lemon lime ginger — launched this summer with assistance from Wayne State University's Department of Nutrition and Food Science.
Ph.D. student Md Abdul Alim served as the main researcher, testing Güt Soda's caloric, carbohydrate and sugar levels in the university's lab.
"It's a very proud moment for me because I'm coming from another country," Alim said.
Hear more from CEO Stephen Roginson below:
The testing process required significant time and expertise.
"Two to three weeks is needed to do this job because caloric analysis from liquid is not easy — it is tough," Alim said.
The brewery packages 24 cans per minute of the product, which Roginson is careful to distinguish from traditional soft drinks.
"Yeah, people in Michigan call it pop, but this is not pop. Pop is sweet, it's heavy. This is soda. It has more in common with an old-school seltzer," Roginson said.
Watch the canning process of the drinks below:
Roginson credits the Wayne State partnership with making the healthier product both affordable and feasible to develop.
"Whether it's for food or for beer... in addition to have products for the people that are not consuming alcohol, and that's where Güt Soda comes in," Roginson said.
Diane Cress, chair of Wayne State's Department of Nutrition and Food Sciences, said the collaboration provided valuable real-world experience for students while breaking new ground for the university.
"Students learn the science behind doing this, but we've never applied it to local businesses before, so that was new," Cress said.
Cress hopes the partnership between Wayne State and Batch Brewing will create additional opportunities for students and staff in the future.
"So, that's what this work was the beginning of," Cress said.
To try Güt Soda, go to drinkgutsoda.com. In Detroit, SuperCrisp, Ima Noodles and Dirty Shake carry Güt Soda with dozens of other metro Detroit retailers also in the mix.
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