In 2016, he began experiencing acid reflux and upon a doctor’s visit where he was informed that long term medicine would be needed in order to subside his symptoms, he began his own research about the subject. Rather than merely acknowledge the symptoms, surely there was a way to treat the source in a natural and holistic way. He began to home-brew kefir, water kefir, and kombucha. Needless to say, the kombucha stuck and away his acid reflux went.

In 2018, after a few years of brewing for friends and family, he was offered a last-minute stall in the St. George Market for their Twilight Market event. The event was a staggering success and became the turning point when Peter realised the need for a local kombucha company in Northern Ireland. With his background in the world of agri-food, industrial biogas fermenters, and a lifelong tea-geek it seemed like his two worlds were colliding in the perfect storm of unique circumstances. Add in lineage with generations of professional horticulture, farmers, and blacksmiths and it truly seemed like he had found his calling. 

Originally The Bucha’s Dog, the company was renamed The Craft Tea Brew Co in 2020 as Peter expanded his repertoire and began to dive into the world of tea-based drinks. Tea was always the heart and soul of his vision, and he found that it too was the core of Northern Irish culture, but why wasn’t it being talked about? Was tea thought of as dated? Was it being brewed in a way which didn’t fully do it justice?

As a certified Tea Champion and trained sommelier, he felt strongly about spreading the accessibility of tea and being able to deliver that experience to the masses. With that idea in mind, he also wanted to push the boundaries of what tea can be, even if it was uncharted territory. Tradition meets innovation. He set out on an adventure of discovery and invites you along for the ride. The Craft Tea Brew Co is an entity which changes and evolves upon each new development but maintains its tea-central focus.