Fermenter Spotlight: Kombucha Town

Tuesday, August 21, 2018 4:46pm

By Amy Johnson, REEU Pommes to Pint Intern

BELLINGHAM, Wash. – Amidst the hustle and bustle of Bellingham, Chris McCoy, founder and CEO of Kombucha Town (est. 2011) and his team are hard at work creating deliciously refreshing beverages for all ages. With a focus on creating a healthy alternative to sodas, Kombucha Town strives to not only increase understanding of what exactly kombucha is and how beneficial it can be to our health, but also just how tasty it is! “Kombucha was still pretty new back in 2011 and, I’d still consider it pretty new now. It’s definitely catching more mainstream attention,” Chris explained.

In an effort to break away from the energy drinks and coffee he consumed regularly during his college years, he began drinking kombucha, “I had a roommate who introduced me to kombucha back in 2007, and shortly after he let me start drinking his, I was drinking enough that he was like, ‘You gotta brew your own, buddy.’” After gaining knowledge from his roommate on how to brew his own kombucha, he never stopped. Chris began his commercial kombucha journey by getting his brewer’s license and produced alcoholic kombucha, but quickly found his niche in non-GMO, non-alcoholic kombucha and switched over. He now has an FDA food facility with an organic certification where he brews the kombucha.

When asked to reflect back on his biggest challenges with starting Kombucha Town, Chris gave us a few insights… A large challenge was building a manufacturing plant followed by actually bringing his product to market. Today we are able to find Kombucha Town in grocery stores, convenience stores, and even coffee shops.

Kombucha Town is a founding member of Kombucha Brewers International, which has been, “growing like crazy since its conception in about 2013.” Kombucha Brewers International originally started with around 20 members and has since grown even larger with over several hundred, which represent about 25 countries. In Washington State, there are about 14 producers currently fermenting kombucha.

Chris had a few tips for those who may want to delve into making kombucha. He gave invaluable advice to newcomers, with all of the unique and interesting product in the market it is easy to get swept away in “trying to emulate commercial products right off the bat,” and to start small and work your way up to avoid getting “upset or frustrated and not be willing to try again.” Most importantly, as with all fermented products, “it takes practice.”

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