AS lovers of craft beers and gins will tell you, it’s the provenance of the product, the story behind it and the love and care that’s gone into producing it, that appeals.

And it’s this craft market that entrepreneur Alan Moore and his Canadian wife Kelsey are keen to tap into with their launch of Clever Kombucha, a new range of the effervescent fermented tea that they brew here in Glasgow.

The Western craze for kombucha - which has been drunk in the far east for hundreds of years - started in North America, but it’s already started crossing the pond, and the Moores hope entering the market early will pay dividends.

“We think there’s a good chance we will see a trend here in Scotland and the UK similar to what we’ve seen in north America over the last few years,” explains Mr Moore, 36. “We first tried kombucha in Canada and loved it, but when we came back home we couldn’t find it anywhere, so Kelsey started brewing it at home and we realised there was a gap in the market.

“We didn’t have lots of money to start the business, but we were in there early. In five years’ time it might be hard to stand out but the fact that we got in at the beginning will hopefully be an advantage. Just the other night we were watching a lifestyle and health TV show and there was a big feature on Kombucha. There’s definitely a growing appetite for it.

“Hopefully people will find us, get to know our product and stick with us.”

The couple, who live in Glasgow’s south side and have a young son, now split their time between brewing the four unique flavours of kombucha at their micro-brewery in the city’s east end, and running the online watch business they’ve had for the last eight years.

And just a couple of months after launching, demand for Clever Kombucha is already on the up, with a rising number of cafes and health food stores stocking it.

“We want to make people more aware of kombucha and create something we can be proud of,” says Mr Moore, who worked in IT before going into business for himself. “We won’t sacrifice the product just to make more money. It would be nice, of course, to be the biggest brand in the UK, so watch this space.”

Mr Moore admits the niche nature of the product led to a number of challenges in launching the business, and the couple had to think creatively.

“If you have general business questions there are lots of people and places you can turn to for help. But if you’re coming up against problems specific to an emerging sector, that can be tough. Sometimes you spend days figuring out tiny issues that in retrospect weren’t that big a deal, but you don’t know that yet.

“If you knew how hard it was going to be, you might not have done it. But you reach a point of no return, so you keep going.

“It’s good to be a bit naïve, though. You run into problems and you just have to figure them out - that’s what we did.”

And despite the challenges of being their own boss, the Moores thoroughly enjoy working together to grow their businesses.

“We pool our talents,” Mr Moore says. “Kelsey’s creativity and my experience on the website and business side make for a pretty good balance.

“We probably do more hours than we would in full-time job, but we work them at a time that suits, and since we have a little boy that flexibility works out really well.”

And when it comes to offering advice to others looking to start a business, according to the entrepreneur it’s important not to run before you can walk.

“Minimise your risks at the outset,” he adds. “Work from home at first, in your spare time, and don’t give up your job until your business has reached a sustainable point.

“No matter how much planning and forecasting you do, until you get the product out there you never know what’s going to happen.”