Kimberly Welch, Creature Craft Soda, Joplin, MO

 

Q: When did you first discover kombucha?

Just a few years ago, my husband came home one day and said, “Hey, have you heard of this kombucha stuff? I’m gonna grow a SCOBY so we can make it at home.” I busted up laughing because I had told him about kombucha years before that! And then we started home brewing and fell even deeper into the world of fermentation.

Q: Why did you start your own kombucha company?

I just fell in love with the process and had already been planning on starting a local small business and it just fit! Through playing with fermentation at home and making new discoveries, I knew I was onto something special. We aren’t even selling yet and are starting to gain a following as we complete renovations on our commercial kitchen.

Q: What is your favorite flavor of kombucha? 

I really love Buchi! My favorite by far but they do not sell in my area yet so when I do purchase locally, it is usually GT’s.

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

I do still have a day job to support my family – I am a Software Engineer focused on e-commerce and user interface development in the Theme park and Attraction industry. I look forward to the day when this business can support our family and I can do our brewing business full time!

Q: What is a saying that you live by?

Do more of what you love. –
It’s really as simple as that. No explanation needed.

Anne Savignard, Bulles d’Opale, France

Q: When did you first discover kombucha?

In 2019, after a training in the beer industry, I turned to traditional fermented plant-based drinks, and one thing leading to another, I discovered Kombucha. Enjoying tea and its health benefits, fascinated by the symbiotic blend of yeast and bacteria, I started to learn making Kombucha in my kitchen and blending different ingredients – as most of us do – before deciding to make it an exciting adventure.

Q: Why did you start your own kombucha company?

Trained as a process engineer, at the dawn of my 50th birthday, I decided to change my life and create my own craft business. Indeed, after working in the food industry for several years, I strongly felt the need to manufacture and market healthy products, in accordance with my desires and values. My aim was to come up with a pleasant and healthy drink : do good to the body and taste buds . After much research and experimentations at home, I was fascinated by the concepts of fermentation and the use of tea / herbs in a wellness perspective.

Q: What is your favorite flavor of kombucha? 

Mint & Ginger – strongly refreshing or simply a green tea with a hint of oolong – Brands that are not mine and that I appreciate: Lökki or Jubiles for the values that these two brands defend and the taste quality of their products.

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

After studying process engineering, I worked in the industrial sector for 10 years, with a spell in the United States; then I learned to be a winegrower in the south of France. Back in my native region, the Hauts de France, I became a Quality & CSR manager for Food industries. When the company I had been working for 11 years was sold, I started to question myself. In my fifties, a new challenge emerged: entrepreneurship. I then launched the creation of my Kombucha microbrewery – Bulles d’Opale, echoing the Opal Coast where I live with my family. I have also maintained – for the moment – a consulting business to bring my experience to small businesses.

Q: What is a saying that you live by?

Follies are the only things you never regret – Oscar Wilde