Meet Our Members – Seattle Custom Beverage (WA)

Wayne Greenfield, Seattle Custom Beverage, Seattle, WA, USA Q: When did you first discover kombucha? I discovered kombucha about 3 years ago when I was having lunch with a client. He bought a kombucha with his meal. I tried a little and was intrigued by the sharp, sour taste. I remarked how it was kind […]

Friday, 1st April 2016

Wayne Greenfield, Seattle Custom Beverage, Seattle, WA, USA

Q: When did you first discover kombucha?

I discovered kombucha about 3 years ago when I was having lunch with a client. He bought a kombucha with his meal. I tried a little and was intrigued by the sharp, sour taste. I remarked how it was kind of a cross between a soda, apple cider vinegar and wine. The winemaker and foodie in me was interested in learning more. Over the next several weeks, references to kombucha kept showing up all over the place. Then a friend gave me a growler to try. So I guess you could say that kombucha discovered me.

Q: Why did you start your own Kombucha company?

Several reasons: I want to be part of the kombucha (living foods) revolution to create amazing, great tasting kombucha for the world. I am committed to people’s health and well being, and I am committed to people enjoying what they eat and drink. Brewing a living-food like kombucha is an artistic, craft brewing adventure that satisfies my artistic and business desires.

I also wanted to create a business that my son was interested in, that he could see himself being involved with during vacations and after school ends. Sam is becoming as interested and capable as I am in creating quality kombucha.

Lastly, I see the kombucha category evolving into something similar to what wine or beer has become – a culinary adventure of many styles and flavors. Kombucha is relatively new commercially. It has a lot of potential for artistic expression, a lot of financial opportunity, and a lot of room for improvement in terms of consistency and quality. In 20 years, I believe that you will see several styles and flavors of kombucha that define the beverage – similar to the way wine has pinot gris, chardonnay and merlot; or beer has IPA, pilsner and stout. I believe there will also be several “grades” of kombucha similar to $3, $15 and $50+ bottles of wine.

Q: What is your favorite flavor of kombucha?

I have many favorites; including ginger, rose, apple, citrus hops, grapefruit, lavender and original!

Q: What is your former/current other life or career?

I am a serial entrepreneur. Previously I created an Internet startup where I built and ran an Internet service provider business for 15 years. Currently I am a Change Management Consultant, helping executives and companies manage important organizational transitions with power, freedom and ease.

Q: What is a saying that you live by?

“Try it. You might like it.”

Meet Our Members – NessAlla (WI)

Alla Shapiro and Vanessa Tortolano, NessAlla Kombucha, Madison, WI, USA Q: When did you first discover Kombucha? Alla-I began brewing kombucha in the late ’90s after being introduced to it by my herbal teacher. I was instantly hooked. Vanessa-I was working at the local coop in 2007 and started noticing a lot of Gt’s […]

Friday, 18th March 2016

Alla Shapiro and Vanessa Tortolano, NessAlla Kombucha, Madison, WI, USA

Q: When did you first discover Kombucha?

Alla-I began brewing kombucha in the late ’90s after being introduced to it by my herbal teacher. I was instantly hooked.

Vanessa-I was working at the local coop in 2007 and started noticing a lot of Gt’s kombucha going through the check out lines and I was intrigued. After I tried it, I loved it and learned that I could brew my own.

Q: Why did you start your own Kombucha company?

We are both herbalists and wanted to have a product that we were both passionate about and is also something that would benefit the people in our community. Kombucha was a natural choice for us.

Q: What is your favorite flavor of kombucha? (a brand that is not your own)?

One Breath Beverage out of Hood River, OR. We like their Be Love flavor, it’s delish!

Q: What is your former/current other life or career?

We are both Mothers and Vanessa is super into doing stand up comedy these days. Alla is getting back into her herbal roots and doing private consultations on the side and for people that stay at the Camp Cabarita Eco Lodge in Jamaica.

Q: What is a saying that you live by?

Live.Laugh.Love.
Or… Cash rules everything around me, dolla, dolla bills y’all….. just kidding!

KBI Visits Congress

On Tuesday, March 15, KBI President Hannah Crum, Operations Administrator Morgan Meredith and several KBI member brewers met with representatives from Congress. Since Congress was in session, many sent staff aides and legislative assistants to meet with the group. After the meeting, all of the members met individually or in small groups with legislative aides […]

Wednesday, 16th March 2016

After the meeting, all of the members met individually or in small groups with legislative aides to share samples, educate about our industry and discuss regulatory concerns with the goal of uncovering potential solutions. They also discussed ways in which the industry can generate additional kombucha commerce in their states.

The breweries represented include: Aqua ViTea, Capital Kombucha, Barefoot Bucha, Sole Kombucha, Buchi, Health-Ade, and Holy Kombucha.

20160315_115950(0) — As an additional highlight, Mike from Buchi Kombucha played live music in the hall in order to generate more interest in our meeting and bring more people into the room!

The legislative assistants listened intently to our concerns and offered helpful feedback for KBI’s future endeavors. Here are some of the ways members and non-member Kombucha companies can find additional resources:

-Contact each state regarding its own Value Added Producer grants for brewers

-Contact agriculture coalitions and boards in your state

In discussing strategies to create legislation to protect the industry, it was recommend that we:

-Connect with more brewery associations

-Connect with Congress members who sponsored the Cider Act

We are delighted to have taken this next step, and are already planning a more formal gathering for Congress members in September, coinciding with Natural Products Expo East.

Want to be more involved? Contact Morgan to find out how you can assist with government outreach.

We grow together!

KBI at US Green Festival Expos and Mother Earth News Fair

Tuesday, 1st March 2016

Kombucha Brewers International is creating KBI “Kombucha Villages” at several festivals happening around the country in 2016. Similar to a beer tent, but featuring KBI Brewery Members, the Village involves several brands banded together for discount pricing on booths while also serving up tasty glasses of booch in a fun atmosphere. This movement is spearheaded by PR Committee Board Liaison, Zane Adams of Buchi Kombucha, who states, “the initiative will bring kombucha brewers together so they can educate consumers on the unique, craft nature of our product while also promoting unity in our industry.”

So far KBI is partnering with the Green Festival Expo and the Mother Earth News Fair and is in discussions with other festivals as well. Each of these festivals will carve out premium location space and collaborate with KBI to generate interest in the category and help draw larger audiences to the festivals through social media promotion and inclusion on press releases.

The Green Festival Expo, known as “America’s Largest and Longest-Running Sustainability and Green Living Event”, brings together vendors and businesses along with eco-minded consumers to help further sustainability initiatives. The festival also offers several awards, including the Green Festival Community Award (a $5000 grant for a sustainable community project), the Green Festival Brand Award, and the Super Green Shopper Prize.

In addition to booth space, KBI has also secured a 30 minute speaking slot to further kombucha education and direct festival goers to the “Village”.

Upcoming Green Festival Dates

Each of these shows has a spot for four KBI members to set up a 5’x10′ space in a central area, and each show will feature a KBI speaker presenting.

Any interested members can email Morgan (admin@kombuchabrewers.org) to register and pay exhibitor fees.

KBI will also be assisting members with participating at the Mother Earth News Fair in all its locations.

“We participated in the inaugural MENF in Wisconsin last August. Attendance that weekend surpassed our expectations despite it being it’s first time at this venue and timing coinciding with the Wisconsin State Fair (that’s changing for 2016). We sold out of kombucha by 2pm on Saturday so we doubled our inventory for Sunday and had fairgoers waiting in line all weekend. The MENF staff was very supportive and gave us additional space and chairs so that we could conduct workshops on homebrewing throughout the weekend. The workshops were filled to capacity with extremely curious and questioning DIY’ers. Overall, a fantastic event with great reach and enthusiasm. Highly recommended.” -Karma Kombucha

“Buchi Kombucha was welcomed with open arms and hearts at the Mother Earth News Expo. Our booth was jammed packed all day with four lines, and full fermentation workshops. It’s a great way to meet homesteading individuals and families who hold a value set around fermentation and sustainability.” -Buchi Kombucha

Please contact Morgan for more on exhibiting at one or more of the Mother Earth News Fairs.

Join Us: DC Lobbying Session on Capitol Hill

KBI President Hannah Crum will be meeting with lawmakers at a round table discussion on Capitol Hill immediately following the AOAC Mid-Year meeting. The Congressional meet and greet will take place March 15th at the Congressional offices on the Hill. March 15, 2016 12-1PM 402 Cannon House Office Bldg Washington, DC 20515 As mentioned at […]

Monday, 29th February 2016

March 15, 2016
12-1PM
402 Cannon House Office Bldg
Washington, DC 20515

As mentioned at KombuchaKon16, KBI is ramping up our grassroots lobbying efforts in order to connect with legislators who can help our industry navigate the governmental and regulatory landscape. First and foremost, will be to introduce kombucha to Congress! When Hannah was in DC for the TTB meeting in early February, she also stopped by several Congressional offices to share the KBI Fact Sheet. Not surprisingly, several of the receptionist interns hadn’t even heard of kombucha! So education is a primary focus for this first lobbying session.

In addition to bringing samples to share, we will also share Kombucha 101 to give a basic background on our product. Key to communicating the importance of our product will be founders stories because most member companies evolved out of specific health challenges that were overcome by consuming kombucha. We will also discuss the needs of our rapidly growing industry as well as share the regulatory challenges we’ve faced thus far and to discuss potential solutions.

Kombucha Brewers International expects approximately 12-20 Congressional aides at this meeting. Want one of them to be yours? Would you like your voice to be heard? Join Hannah in DC on March 15 & 16th to attend this session and to meet your Congressperson!

To participate, please drop an email to Morgan so we can include you and your Congressperson on the guest list. Also indicate if you are willing to bring samples and if you are available both days or just one. If we are not able to secure a room for the Roundtable (pending notice from our Congressional liaison), we will still be doing in person meetings on the Hill for those 2 days to spread the word about our industry.

KombuchaKon 2016: A Growing Success !

An unprecedented 219 kombucha brewers from 90 companies and 6 countries gathered this past weekend in sunny Long Beach, California for Kombucha Brewers International’s third annual conference, KombuchaKon 2016. This year’s KombuchaKon boasted impressive gains, including doubling last year’s attendance numbers, expansion from a single room into a conference center, a first […]

Tuesday, 16th February 2016

This year’s KombuchaKon boasted impressive gains, including doubling last year’s attendance numbers, expansion from a single room into a conference center, a first annual industry trade show, and the World’s Largest Kombucha Sampling Bar.

A highlight of the conference, the World’s Largest Kombucha Sampling Bar, bustling throughout the weekend, included sample beverages from every brewer able and willing to transport kombucha to the Long Beach Convention Center. The experience allowed members to explore various flavor profiles and discuss brewing techniques with other industry insiders as they tasted. Loads of kombucha arrived throughout the weekend via various shipping companies as well as by hand delivery. The official collectible KombuchaKon 2016 tasting glasses, sponsored by Spectrum Label Corp, were in high demand as brewers compared varieties and styles.

Hannah Crum speaking at KombuchaKon 2016

New for this year, KBI offered two educational tracks, which allowed all members the chance to sit in on various sessions throughout the day, since each member registration includes admission for two attendees. Track 1 detailed processes and requirements that will be necessary for participation in the KBI Verification Program, and provided a wealth of information for Brewery in Process members focusing on basic business practices and legal requirements, the Food Safety Modernization Act, and HACCP plan creation and training. Track 2, offered more advanced topics, such as grassroots marketing strategies (such as social media, festivals, and live demos); lab testing methods, research, and an AOAC working group update; and the very popular session on techniques for controlling alcohol in kombucha production. Other workshop sessions included discussions regarding label and nutritional claims and market and trend analysis.

Gary Deschutes speaking at KombuchaKon 2016

Keynote speaker Gary Fish of Deschutes Brewery, a longtime member of the Brewers Association, delivered an inspiring talk that motivated KBI members by reminding brewers that quality is the main key to success as both an individual business and a trade organization, and that an industry such as this one survives only through robust and healthy competition.

Generous sponsors provided everything from booths at the trade show to high-quality grass-fed fermented organic foods to the conference bag sponsored by White Labs. Thank you again to all of our amazing sponsors for KombuchaKon 2016

Silver Sponsors

Atago USA
Anton Paar
The Jasmine Pearl Tea Company
Jenny Stern Video Marketing Web
Kombucha on Tap
Pack Leader USA
White Labs
Spectrum Label Corporation
Wildly Fermented

Bronze Sponsors

US Wellness Meats
Mannanova Solutions
Cornerstone Laboratories LLC
Gamer Packaging
Ventura Spirits
Whole Foods Markets
Greenberg Traurig
Cultivate Events

Speakers

Bobbi Leahy
Justin Prochnow
Sam LaBonia
Gary Fish

Without the help of these companies and individuals, the event surely would not have been such a smashing success. If you would like to get in on the ground level of a growing industry, join us as an affiliate member! Join the kombucha generation!

As with any developing event, KombuchaKon can already visualize even more ways to improve and expand for next year, and we look forward to your joining us in our next ferment!

TTB Meeting Recap: February 2, 2016

Tuesday, 9th February 2016

On February 2nd, 2016, Hannah Crum, KBI President, met with several members of the TTB (Alcohol Tax and Trade Bureau) to discuss the trace amounts of ethanol naturally produced by the kombucha fermentation process and what steps the industry is taking to ensure companies remain in compliance of the current legal threshold for taxation of .5% ABV (alcohol by volume). Talking points included discussing the agency’s desire for the industry to self-regulate, the ethanol testing standard being developed with the AOAC, and an informative discussion on the numerous techniques utilized by the industry to reduce alcohol in addition to refrigeration.

The hour-long meeting was yet another step in establishing a closer relationship with the TTB in light of the letters that were sent to a handful of KBI members in 2015. Since kombucha is not intended as an alcoholic product, the TTB stated that it has no desire to regulate kombucha and prefers that the industry do so on its own. KBI agreed that self-regulation, just as in every other industry, would be the best way to reduce potential mislabeling and product quality concerns. To that end, KBI has already developed a set of Best Practices for all kombucha brewers that relate not only to alcohol testing but also to sanitary and business practices.

While the TTB is a partner in the AOAC process, it also reiterated that its participation in the consensus-based standards development process did not guarantee adoption of the new testing standard once fully vetted. The TTB maintained that its current testing methods (distillation and densitometry), which have been in use for over 100 years and are used to test the ethanol content of all kinds of products including foods, additives and other ingredients, are sufficient for detecting even low levels of ethanol. However, the TTB representatives also acknowledged that any other testing method may also be utilized provided it is validated. KBI has submitted the current approved testing methodology with validation to the TTB.

TTB staff were glad to learn of the several techniques already utilized by the industry for controlling ethanol production in kombucha. These include filtration, dilution, culture selection based on organisms, and aeration in addition to insisting on cold storage throughout the supply chain handling. Moreover, kombucha often contains similar amounts of ethanol to juice, sodas, and energy drinks, especially in light of the fact that the flavorings for these products are often in an alcohol-based carrier.

Overall, the meeting was a huge success and confirmed that both the TTB and the kombucha industry have the same goals – safe, compliant products that adhere to Best Practices. After the meeting, several TTB staff offered assistance to KBI and the kombucha industry as we continue to develop appropriate controls and protocols while determining what methods of testing will provide accurate and repeatable results. With the measures KBI is taking both with AOAC and the Verification program, we are on the path of self-regulation.

Meet Our Members – Golda (GA)

Melanie Wade, Golda Kombucha, Atlanta, GA, USA Q: When did you first discover Kombucha? My grandma brewed Kombucha for over 20 years and I always thought of it as “grandma’s weird mushroom tea.” But one day, about 4 or 5 years ago, she taught me how to make it myself. Q: Why did you start your own Kombucha company? After reading […]

Friday, 3rd July 2015

Melanie Wade, Golda Kombucha, Atlanta, GA, USA

Q: When did you first discover Kombucha?

My grandma brewed Kombucha for over 20 years and I always thought of it as “grandma’s weird mushroom tea.” But one day, about 4 or 5 years ago, she taught me how to make it myself.

Q: Why did you start your own Kombucha company?

After reading some books on brewing Kombucha and learning more about its health benefits from my grandma, I started home brewing as a hobby. That hobby grew into commercial production about a year and a half ago.

Q: What is your favorite flavor (a brand that is not your own)?

I really like Unity Vibration’s Kombucha Beer with hints of grapefruit and juniper.

Q: What is your former/current other life or career?

Before Kombucha, I was an Account Executive at a public relations firm.

Q: What is a saying that you live by?

“Take me as I come ’cause I can’t stay long,” a Tom Petty lyric.