'booch news by 'Booch News
Matt Lancor launched Kombuchade out of his parents’ home in 2015. In the dozen years since then, it has grown into a strong regional brand marketed as a performance-focused kombucha crafted specifically for athletes and active individuals.
I first interviewed Lucas in 2021, when he shared his opinion on why kombucha has become so popular in Brazil and the rapid growth of the industry from 2019 to 2021.
Thiago Cunha founded LABKOM in 2020, together with Ruan Gregório, after a technical support initiative during the COVID period helped regional beverage producers navigate process and regulatory challenges. Cunha is a chemical engineer, holds a master’s degree in biotechnology and a specialization in microbiology, and is currently a PhD candidate in chemistry at the Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG). What began with support for a handful of kombucha brands in Minas Gerais evolved into a specialized consultancy focused on process consistency, quality control, shelf stability, and regulatory readiness. Today, LABKOM works with producers in Brazil and has also supported over 100 companies in markets across the United States, Chile, Argentina, Portugal, Spain, and Italy.
Four years ago I visited The Elixir Spot vegan cafe and kombucha brewery near the Pier in Puerto Vallarta. Then in 2024 I added an update reporting they had expanded to a second location in the 5th of December neighborhood.
World Ferment Day took place on February 1st this year. Billed as a global celebration that turns theory into practice, people were invited to taste a ferment, make a ferment, share a ferment or host a ferment event. Organizer Jo Webster was supported by The Fermentation School, Wildbrine, and The Fermentation School en español.
Last year, I met Gina Méndez, the founder of Kova Kombucha in Puerto Vallarta. At that time, I reported that she had been in business for a year, was operating out of her home, and producing 250-300 bottles per month. She planned to move to a larger space.
Shajia Meraj’s thesis at Karachi University, Pakistan, was a groundbreaking exploration of kombucha “leather” (dried cellulose SCOBYs) in the context of sustainable textile design. Rather than viewing this material merely as an industrial substitute for animal leather, Meraj’s research, conducted over 11 months in 2025, treats it as a living, time-based medium that responds to its environment and the care it receives. This project balances technical material experimentation and mastery with a profound conceptual inquiry into grief, memory, and circularity.
This is the last in a series about possible futures, published in Booch News each week, starting with a Preview on October 3rd. Episode 11 appeared last week.
I recently talked with Marianne O’Donnell, the founder of Kombucha Na Dálaigh, based in Donegal in the north-west of Ireland. I began by wishing her a Happy Christmas in her native tongue, which is the limit of my Irish language skills. This was an appropriate greeting since Kombucha Na Dálaigh is located in a Gaeltacht region of the Republic, where Irish is the everyday language and a cornerstone of local culture, traditions, and identity.
This is one in a series about possible futures, published in Booch News over the coming weeks. Episode 10 appeared last week. New episodes drop every Friday.
WonderBrew Kombucha made history by clinching six prestigious titles at the World Kombucha Awards 2025 in Barcelona, Spain. The brand was founded in 2018 by Joseph Poh Wen Xian and Loke Boon Eng.
This is one in a series about possible futures, published in Booch News over the coming weeks. Episode 9 appeared last week. New episodes drop every Friday.
Dr. Cătălin Tîlvescu is a general surgeon and the coordinator of the Department of Hyperbaric Medicine at Nova Vita Hospital in Romania. In 2020, he founded Kombucius in his hometown of Târgu Mureș, Transylvania.
Jake Myers, the director of the new comedy-horror movie, Kombucha, visited San Francisco this weekend. He had flown in from Chicago (where the film was shot) to host a screening at the Balboa Theater’s ‘Another Hole in the Head‘ horror-fest.
This is one in a series about possible futures, which will be published in Booch News over the coming weeks. Episode 8 appeared last week. New episodes drop every Friday.
This is one in a series about possible futures, which will be published in Booch News over the coming weeks. Episode 7 appeared last week. New episodes drop every Friday.
I sat down with William Esslinger of Confluence Kombucha in St. Louis, Missouri. We’d just left the three-day KBI conference in Barcelona and were having lunch at Munich Airport before catching our respective connecting flights. It was William’s first time in Germany, if you count being in an airport transit lounge as being in a country. What follows is an edited transcript of our conversation. The full audio is available as a podcast at the end of this post.
This is one in a series about possible futures, which will be published in Booch News over the coming weeks. Episode 6 appeared last week. New episodes drop every Friday.
I visited Bioma Kombucha on the final day of my trip to Barcelona for the World Kombucha Awards and KBI European Summit.
This is one in a series about possible futures, which will be published in Booch News over the coming weeks. Episode 5 appeared last week. New episodes drop every Friday.
Jordi Dalmau improved his health with kombucha and founded Mūn Kombucha. He is a multi-year World Kombucha Awards winner and sits on the KBI Board of Directors.
This is one in a series about possible futures, which will be published in Booch News over the coming weeks. Episode 4 appeared last week. New episodes drop every Friday.
I met Khadija Benslimane at the recent KBI European Salon and World Kombucha Awards event in Barcelona. She founded KaBé Kombucha in Casablanca, Morocco, just 18 months ago. This is the first and so far the only commercial kombucha brand in a country of almost 40 million — an outstanding example of a Blue Ocean Strategy.
This is one in a series about possible futures, which will be published in Booch News over the coming weeks. Episode 3 appeared last week. New episodes drop every Friday.
Among the dozens of kombucha producers I spoke with from around the world gathered in Barcelona for the World Kombucha Awards, one stood out. Artem Manko the founder of Wild Kombucha, Kiev, Ukraine, shared the story of his brand and the effect the conflict with Russia has had on his business. It’s not what you might expect:
Sunday, October 26, was the ‘Open House’ day for the members of the public to come to the World Kombucha Awards venue in Barcelona and meet the winners from around the world. Over 70 people from across Europe gathered on the rooftop patio to hear from each brand and sample the kombucha on offer.
This is one in a series about possible futures, which will be published in Booch News over the coming weeks. Episode 2 appeared last week. New episodes drop every Friday. Overview Building on Curro Polo’s pioneering research in the late...
“From Darjeeling to the world.” Rooted in the ancient wisdom of the Himalayas, Syang’s Kombucha crafts wellness-focused drinks like sparkling teas, kombucha, and functional infusions made from ancient grains, herbs, and Himalayan botanicals. From the high slopes of Darjeeling, where...
This is one in a series about possible futures, which will be published in Booch News over the coming weeks. Episode 1 appeared last week. New episodes drop every Friday. Overview Breakthroughs in fermentation science occurred when researchers transitioned from...
Stargazer Kombucha was founded in 2019 by Alison and Mike Schmitt. This boutique craft kombucha business based in Albuquerque, New Mexico is now for sale. Brewing a traditional form of kombucha, the company selects fine single-origin teas and ferments them...
This is the first episode in a series about possible futures, which will be published in Booch News over the coming weeks. The Preview appeared last week. New episodes drop every Friday. Overview Decades before the year 2100 the processed...
Inspired by the recent Stanford Fermented Food Conference, I imagined outlandish futures:that ultra-processed foods are a thing of the past; that crops are grown indoors after climate change devastates farmlands; that absolutely everyone makes home-brewed kombucha. This is a preview...
MOMO kombucha was in the news recently after securing an additional £2 million in investment funds. I ask co-founder Josh Puddle about the history and plans for his company. Origins In May 2016, Josh was somewhere over the North Atlantic,...
Curro Polo is currently pursuing an industrial PhD in the Basque Culinary Center program, with the academic guidance of Harvard University. His research project is taking place at Ama Brewery, where he is on the R&D team with Chef Ramón...
Ama Brewery produces a pét-nat tea brewed using local spring water from the Izarraitz Massif in the Basque Country, and high-quality tea and herbs. Pét-nat, an ancient method of making sparkling wine, is short for pétillant naturel, where the wine...
Origins Nirraj Satish Manek and his wife, Kajall, teamed with his friend and partner, Chef Niyati Rao of Ekaa, a Mumbai fine-dining restaurant, who introduced him to kombucha. His 18-year career at financial behemoths Citibank, H&R Block, and elsewhere gave...
Robin Singh had everything he wanted and more—well-settled in the US, financial freedom, married to the love of his life—except he was not happy. It was in his pursuit of happiness that he stumbled across his purpose. He found what...
Suyra Prakash was introduced to kombucha while living in Denver, Colorado, in 2017, and he brought back a taste for it to India. However, he was unable to find good kombucha, so he started brewing it at home, working for...
Honey Islam authored the recent 3-part Guest Post on Booch News How the New Indian Government Tax Reform Punishes Beverage Startups, which raised concerns about a 40% tax the Indian Government plans to impose on kombucha. This Profile and podcast...
The founder of Dramilia's Kombucha, Chennai, India, shares her story.
MAVI’s Pantry is a homegrown artisanal fermented food and beverage brand which makes gut-friendly functional products like kombucha, kimchi, kvas, ginger ale, kanji, and sauerkraut using local, seasonal and organic ingredients. They started with kombucha and it still is their...
An attendee at the Stanford Fermented Food Conference I wanted to meet was Aga Pokrywka the host of Ferment Radio, a fascinating and informative podcast series that began back in 2020 and has posted almost 50 episodes. You can find...
The two-day conference wrapped up Friday afternoon with a Fermentation Festival where attendees gathered in the courtyard of the Clark Center to sample food and beverages from a variety of vendors. Attendee Impressions I asked some of the attendees to...
Mikaela Kasperek is a registered dietician with a PhD in nutritional sciences. Her research focuses on the health benefits of fermented foods, focusing on the role of microbial metabolites, particularly aryl-lactates. While existing evidence suggests fermented foods are beneficial (e.g.,...
As with all foods, kombucha brewers are legally required to include nutritional information on their bottles and cans. The labels allow us to see the amount of calories and sugar in each brand. Fermented beverages like kefir and kombucha will...
At the end of Day One of the Conference, after listening to more than a dozen experts offer insights into everything from the ways red ants are used as a traditional yogurt starter in rural Turkey, to why gastrophagy was...
I met her in a club down in old SohoWhere you drink champagne and it tastes like Coca-ColaC-O-L-A, Cola — Lola, The Kinks Pascal Du Bois has been a fan of kombucha for many years, from the days when his...
The UK’s original kombucha label, GO Kombucha, is up for sale. I first came across the brand back in November 2018 when I visited Liverpool. In October 2023, I interviewed founder Gary Leigh . You can find more information about...
Kombucha connoisseur Susanna Danieli recently visited her native Italy and reported on the thriving kombucha scene there. She added a number of reviews of Italian brands to her excellent Instagram channel. The new brands that she discovered have been added...
We first reported on Keg Outlet in our February 2020 post Growing Beyond Home Brewing where we referenced three informative videos they had produced: These are among the 90+ informative videos that Keg Outlet have posted to their YouTube channel....
While visiting family in Cheshire, England, I was delighted to meet up with Charlotte, the founder of Shropshire Kombucha. We’d not been able to connect when I was last in Nantwich. But this time around, she was at the bustling...
Sambucha Kombucha is located in Pangbourne, near Reading, England on the banks of the River Thames. It is a “hobby turned full-time job” for Sam May, who moved from California to the UK. The commercial operation started during lockdown and...
Three years ago, I visited the KC Kombucha taproom in the Oak Park neighborhood of Sacramento. News broke last week that the taproom was closing. Courtney, the founder, had sold the business to her long-time partner Michelle Grubbs. A time...
Curro Polo is currently pursuing a PhD under the Basque Culinary Center program, with the academic guidance of Harvard University The research project will take place at Ama Brewery, exploring the fascinating world of microbiology applied to beverages. We’d met...
Jean-Pierre Parent, a yoga teacher in Portland, Oregon, noticed that, even though people often go to yoga studios for the community, many students would shyly slink away after class. In response, he began bringing his home-brew kombucha to enjoy after...
On a recent trip to Mexico City, I met with the founders of Umani Fermentos. Our 20-minute discussion provided insights into the company’s origins, production, and distribution. Origins Umani was started as a side project in 2018 by three friends—Ixchel,...
Following my recent interview with Sally of Burning Bloom Kombucha in Puerto Vallarta, I met Gina Méndez the founder of Kova Kombucha, a small-batch kombucha business also based in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico and Zapotlanejo, near Guadalajara. Kova is the most...
It’s been two years since I first discovered local kombucha in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. At the time I met Monica at the Elixir Spot Vegan Cafe I had not seen any others. It was only this January, when I dropped...
This podcast interview features James, the owner of Nania’s Vineyard, a Bristol-based company producing canned English wine and kombucha. James details his journey from home winemaking to establishing a thriving, albeit small-scale, kombucha business. He explains his unique brewing process,...
Gwen Bortner is a business advisor and operational strategist specializing in women entrepreneurs, particularly those who have turned hobbies into businesses. In a recent interview with Booch News, she detailed how her expertise can benefit women business owners in the...
On Oct 29, 2024 Real Co Labs hosted an afternoon discussion on The Art and Science of Fermentation in London. The audio of company founder David Begg’s presentation is attached with the company’s express permission. In this audio, David Begg,...
Statistics show that 50% of small businesses failure occurs within five years. Last year, we looked at general numbers for the kombucha industry. This is the story behind one brand’s decision to move on. The goal of these features is...
Statistics show that 50% of small businesses failure occurs within five years. Last year, we looked at general numbers for the kombucha industry. This is the story behind one brand’s decision to move on. In this interview, Joshua Rood, founder...
This is a follow-up to the recent post about the study by the students and faculty the department of chemistry at Shippensburg University. The lead authors are Professors John Richardson and Jeb Kegerreis. They spoke with Booch News about the...
Last week I posted an appreciation of the Instagram of Susy Drinks Kombucha – an impressive archive of over 270 detailed reviews of commercial brands in the States and Europe. At the time I speculated that …she grew up in...
Edited transcript (original audio at the bottom). Booch News: I was delighted to make contact with Caroline Gilmartin and Jo Webster, two British fermentation experts who live in the southwest of England. I’d found them on the Substack platform [subscription...
The 2024 KBI European Salon was held Oct 24-25 in the meeting space at the Terra Veritas organic supermarket in Barcelona, promising a “dynamic discussions surrounding the changes in the kombucha market…a landscape that is evolving rapidly, presenting both exciting...
This podcast is the result of an experiment with Google’s new generative A.I. tool NotebookLM — created “to help you make sense of complex information. When you upload your sources, it instantly becomes an expert, grounding its responses in your...
Daniela Guilbert founded Bruja Sana Kombucha in 2015 after discovering the drink while living in Vancouver and visiting Northern California. On returning to Mexico, she was dismayed that kombucha was largely unavailable. A friend suggested that she start making it,...
Thierry Tran authored a 3-part series in SYMBIOSIS Magazine: (Back copies are available to order.) He now offers independent consulting via Transverse Consulting, contact Thierry by messaging him on his LinkedIn profile. He has published over 20 research papers on...
On the last day of a two-week road trip from my home in the San Francisco Bay Area to Portland and back, I was fortunate to arrive in Fort Bragg when the Wednesday Farmers’ Market was on. I came across...
It’s Alive Kombucha is located on the far north coast of California in the remote college town of Arcata. For the past 11 years, the family-owned business has supplied regular and hard kombucha to the region. They now distribute from...
Jared Englund founded Lion Heart Kombucha 14 years ago and named the company after his son, Lev, whose name means “lion heart.” He started teaching kombucha classes in 2008 and established Lion Heart Kombucha in 2010, brewing booch at night...
Michael Churchill and his wife Natalia Amijo are industrial designers living in the San Francisco Bay Area. They have employed their design chops to create KOMBU — a sleek, if pricey, appliance for home brewing kombucha. Their “Fermenstation” features a...
Julie Morrell and Ted Archuleta founded Urban Mama 505 in Albuquerque, New Mexico in June 2021. This was after a dozen years brewing kombucha at home that helped Julie resolve health issues including a brain tumor, autoimmune disorder, and fibromyalgia....
On May 17 we featured a Guest Posting by Joseph at Holos on How to make a SCOBY Leather Bag. This interview with company co-founder Naomi Partridge tells the story of the brand. I was introduced to Holos by Reeti...
Emma Davies founded award-winning Curious Kombucha five years ago. She is based in Thorncombe, Dorset, in the south-west of England. Emma began her brewing career 20 years ago, producing beer in local microbreweries, where she developed a deep understanding of...
In the Fall 2021 edition of SYMBIOSIS Magazine, we profiled Sacha Laurin’s award-winning designs fashioned from SCOBY fabrics. She had taken early experiments in fabrics based on SCOBY (pellicle) processing to an international audience when, in 2015, she premiered her...
We first reported on the Kombucha Warehouse in May 2023. The company is now two years old. I took advantage of a trip back to the UK to meet founding brothers Jack and Jordan Sotoriou in person at their facility...
We first reported on Andrew Mills — the founder of NUNC Living Jun-Kombucha — in December 2020. At that time the company, started with a paltry £12,000, was only two years old. I took advantage of a trip back to...
Statistics show that 50% of small businesses fail within five years. In October, we looked at general numbers for the kombucha industry. This is the story behind one person’s decision to move on. Eli Cayer founded Urban Farm Fermentory in...
I first met Numan Karabiyik of Boochman Kombucha in Berkeley in November 2019. Since then, his business has gone from strength to strength and he now operates out of a larger facility across the Bay in San Francisco. Boochmania Boochman...
Kendra stepped up to lead KBI in January after Hannah Crum moved on. She recently spoke with Booch News about the latest developments at Kombucha Brewers International. Listen to the podcast to hear the latest. Highlights include: Seal Program The...
Statistics show that 50% of small businesses fail within five years. In October, we looked at general numbers for the kombucha industry. This is the story behind one person’s decision to move on. Julie Davidson opened Komadre Kombucha in Tacoma,...
Statistics show that 50% of small businesses fail within five years. In October, we looked at general numbers for the kombucha industry. This is the story behind one person’s decision to move on. A decade ago, Rachel Rappa started Coastal...
Statistics show that 50% of small businesses fail within five years. In October, we looked at general numbers for the kombucha industry. This is the story behind one person’s decision to move on. Moss Beach Kombucha was profiled on Booch...
I enjoyed finding Bebida Viva Kombucha on the shelves of the large La Comer supermarket when visiting Puerto Vallarta on vacation. So, it’s appropriate that I conclude this series of profiles of Mexican brands by interviewing Marcelo Hinojosa, the founder...
Tania Góngora (a food scientist) and Fernanda (‘Fer’) Iturbide (a sociologist and marketing expert) founded Simbiótica Fermentación in Mexico City in 2017. They divide responsibility between the fermentation science and marketing of their eight-year-old company, which now employs 18 people....
My recent vacation in Mexico alerted me to the lack of retail availability of any but the leading brands. Research shows that Mexico ranks fourth worldwide in the number of active kombucha companies. However, the vast majority are small, regional...
As shown on the Booch News Instagram, I recently spent a month in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, and visiting Lake Chapala near Guadalajara. As is typical for tourists, I could only stumble on random outlets for kombucha. This was especially true...
Following the October 31 report in Spain’s El Pais newspaper which contained a pointed critique of Manna-K, we were eager to interview Denis Kelleher, the founder and CEO of Good Culture Kombucha — the foremost international distributors of the product....
This is the second part of an interview with Stacy Jurich, the founder of Boochy Mama’s Kombucha. In Part 1, she talked about her kombucha company. She is also a small business coach. As a successful business owner, Stacy is...
Stacy Jurich learned how to brew kombucha while living in Hawaii and continued once she was back in Toledo. Before long, she was delivering her home brew by bicycle to friends, in gradually increasing quantities. In 2014, on a visit to...
Gord McDougall is a Canadian investor who addresses the struggles small and medium-sized businesses experience — from attracting equity partners to surviving business setbacks. Gord highlights the importance of a financial plan as a necessary starting point when launching a...
Origins In 2018, Stefano Zamboni visited a cousin in California, tried kombucha, and on returning to Italy, founded Legend Kombucha in 2020 in his hometown of Verona, the setting for Shakespeare’s Two Gentlemen of Verona and the romantic tragedy, Romeo...
Regional identity Shropshire Kombucha is based in the English market town of Shrewsbury, 30 miles to the west and a world away from the industrial cities of Wolverhampton and Birmingham. It’s a delightful rural area (close to the mythic county...
Gary Leigh, the owner of Go Kombucha is the founder of England’s original commercial kombucha business. Part One covered the company’s origins and the direct-to-consumer varieties sold. In Part Two, he shares his views on the risks he sees in...
Gary Leigh, the owner of Go Kombucha, Sussex, England, sat down for an interview with Booch News. We spoke for over an hour. In Part One of the interview (30 minutes), Gary shares the story of the founding of England’s...
In 2014, Lucy George transitioned from harvesting strawberries to growing tea on her family farm — now known as the Peterston Tea Estate — in the Vale of Glamorgan, near Cardiff, Wales. What started as an experimental project soon became...
Emmett Kerrigan and Keith Loftus founded All About Kombucha in Claregalway, Ireland, in 2017. After finishing college, they spent two years in Vancouver, Canada, where they first came across kombucha. On returning to Ireland, they had a thirst. A thirst...
