The very real person behind our name
Christiana Stead was born in 1898 in a small country village called Middleton-in-Teesdale in the North of England. Her ginger wine recipe - now over 150 years old - uses all natural ingredients and the result is a mellow, versatile drink for all seasons.

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“We liked it so much we bought the business”    
In 1994, Len and Dot Knox bought the recipe for their favourite drink.  They began preparing Gran Stead’s Ginger Wine from home and selling it at craft fairs.  As word spread and demand grew, they moved on to farmers markets and began to build a list of stockists.

The business was given a marvellous start by the hard work of Len and Dot and we’re delighted to say that fifteen years later it continues to grow.   Today it’s us, their son Chris and daughter-in-law Rosemary, who take care of the day to day running of the business and production has moved to a local farm.  Sadly Dot passed away in 2008 but Len is still an important member of the family team and you may well know him, as he is often out and about offering tastings as he continues to spread the word about his beloved Gran Stead’s Ginger Wine.

Our new drink - Gran Stead’s Traditional Still Lemonade
We started making our lovely Lemonade in the summer of 2008 and retailers and customers tell us how much they like this zesty drink which has a timeless appeal. 

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