In 2019, Sonja decided to jump ship from her day job and embark on a new adventure. She explained: “No one else was producing the alcohol-free beer that I wanted to drink, so I decided it was up to me to have a go! I spent a lot of time trying to talk myself out of it…was it crazy to launch a business when I had three children and a busy life to juggle? But then I thought if people like me didn’t have a go at launching a business, then who would?”
Sonja decided to make Scotland her home 14 years ago and fell in love with the food and drink scene here. She said: “I ended up drinking German lager when I first switched to alcohol-free beer as that was the best I could find”.
“It felt wrong that I was being forced to make a different choice, when I was so used to drinking amazing locally brewed craft beer. My mission when I launched Jump Ship was to brew world-class alcohol-free beer, right here in Scotland, and that hasn't changed”, she added.
Although, the road to creating the first beer wasn’t easy. Sonja said: “it took nearly a year to perfect our first beer, Yardarm, and I wept into more than one failed brew. Finding the right brewing partner was tricky, and then replicating the quality of my trial recipe took several failed attempts before we finally cracked both flavour and fermentation”.
Despite the challenges she faced, Sonja persevered: “The reason I kept going was because I loved the beer we'd developed so much and knew that it deserved to reach a bigger audience. I was pretty chuffed when two years later that beer, our flagship Yardarm Lager, went on to win best in style at the World Beer Awards”, she explained.
Sonja also recognises the importance of her community who have supported her journey. She said: “I've had lots of help along the way, not least from my long-suffering partner who has been an important sounding board for new ideas and ways to tackle the many challenges I've faced as the business has grown”.
“I was lucky enough to win Scottish Edge funding back in December 2021, and it's been great to have the backing of the Edge team. I was also part of the Scottish Enterprise Unlocking Ambition programme, giving me structure and support to scale my business and introduced me a great network of other founders”, she added.
Jump Ship brewing continues to go from strength to strength and opened its first brewery at the start of 2024. “In January last year we opened the doors of our new purpose-designed brewery in Midlothian. I have to pinch myself every day when I come into work, seeing that row of shiny tanks and realising how my dream to brew my own world-class alcohol-free beer in Scotland has become a reality”, she said.
Are you interested in learning more? Find out about Jump Ship Brewing
Learn more about doing business in Scotland