20/08/2026
Raising my kids in Sydney is a dream, but it looks so completely different from how I grew up in Germany.
They get the beach, the endless sunshine, and the wild outdoor lifestyle. I love it. But when it came to what they were eating and drinking, I got serious culture shock.
Everyone warns you about the spiders when you move to Australia, but for me, the real terror was the supermarket drink aisle.
Growing up, a Schorle (real fruit and sparkling water) was standard. It’s what every kid drank. But when I started reading the fine print on the “healthy” juice boxes here, I realized they were mostly just chemical syrups and artificial flavors hiding behind legal loopholes.
My law career trained me to spot the BS in a contract, but I was sick of using those skills in the supermarket.
I couldn’t imagine my kids growing up without the one drink that defined my childhood. So, I took a massive risk, left my career, and built Call It Schorle. I wanted to bring that pure, zero-BS German standard to our new home.
It’s been the hardest pivot of my life. But handing them a real Schorle on the beach after a swim, means my kids get the absolute best of both worlds.
And seeing it sitting proudly on Australian supermarket shelves today is the biggest reward.
To my fellow expat parents: What is the one food or tradition from your home country that you absolutely refuse to let your kids grow up without? Let me know below! 👇🏼
