Kombucha (pronounced Kom-boo-cha) is a refreshing, effervescent, pro-biotic tea that is gaining well-deserved popularity in Maine. It has been brewed for over two thousand years and was once called the Elixir of Life by the Chinese; today it is appreciated all over the world and is beginning to make its way into our great state.
The ingredients of Kombucha are basic: water, tea, and sugar. The secret of the tea lies with the SCOBY (Symbiotic Culture Of Bacteria and Yeast), a living culture that “eats” the sugar, leaving in its place loads of amino acids, B vitamins, detoxifying enzymes, and healthy strains of bacteria and yeast. All this helps one to maintain a healthy digestive system, which is the center of a healthy body, both literally and figuratively speaking.
Too often in our modern-day lives people are looking for the quick fix to what ails them. Kombucha gets back to the old notion of taking care of oneself by maintaining balance.
Kombucha can be enjoyed after a vigorous run or bike for its recharging electrolytes; with a meal as an accompanying digestive aid or by itself as a delicious pick-me-up; on a Sunday morning to fight the aftereffects of a Saturday night; dressed up in a wine glass or straight from a mason jar; at a festive gathering and while relaxing alone; in the morning, mid-afternoon, and after dinner.
Maine Kombucha Company starts with fair-traded organic green and white teas, adds pure spring water from the Western Mountains of Maine, and then carefully cultivates the organically sweetened tea just the right amount of time to bring out the maximum health benefits and to transform the tea into wondrous drinkability. We bottle our tea at just the right moment when nearly all of the sugar has been converted, leaving behind a slightly tart, non-alcoholic, delicious drink.
Our final step is to infuse our raw Kombucha with the local flavors of Maine: Blueberries, Cranberries, Elderberry, Rose Hip, Hawthorne Berry, and more.
We consider Kombucha to be a part of the “slow food” solution of addressing Maine’s health and economic development needs of the 21st century. Though for authenticity and quality we use tea imported from Asia and organic cane sugar from southern environs, our company is the Maine Kombucha Company – brewed in Maine by Mainers for Mainers with love, attention and devotion – never skimping, always striving to produce the highest quality, healthiest beverage that we can.
We are currently expanding our production, moving forward with regulatory requirements for beverage plant licensing and bottle bill laws, and developing our marketing strategy. We plan to offer our Kombucha commercially April 2010. We are debuting our Kombucha at the November GreenDrinks event in Portland on November 10th. We invite you to attend to sample our Kombucha!
Currently Kombucha is widely available in health food stores in and around Southern Maine and less available in all other parts of Maine. Most readily available is the GT brand of Millennium Products out of Beverly Hills, CA, the largest producer of Kombucha in the United States. The closest brewer that sells in Maine is Katalyst Kombucha out of Western Massachusetts. Local breweries in Colorado, Oregon and Vermont are carving out a niche on the shelves, but as of yet, there are no Maine commercial brewers.
In addition to health food stores, Maine Kombucha will be merchandised in cafés, restaurant, food co-ops, and farmers' markets throughout Maine, available in bottles or on draught. Kombucha appeals to all health conscious adults and also to junk-food lovers who just want to add some balance in their lives. The active Maine outdoor person will enjoy Kombucha after an intense workout or day on the slopes to rejuvenate, renew and recover.
Maine Kombucha Company is the joint effort of the daughter-father team of Taryn and Christopher Hallweaver. Taryn is a 2008 graduate of Vassar College and is a Community Organizer for Toxics Action Center, an environmental and public health non-profit, here in Portland. Chris is a 1975 graduate of the University of Rhode Island and enjoyed success growing his software development firm before selling the company and moving to Maine in 1995.
What started out as a modest kitchen operation of brewing one gallon a week has continuously ramped up in quantity and quality – and the popularity of our Kombucha in circles of friends and family has likewise grown. We are thrilled at the opportunity to share our passion with a wide audience.
The chance for a father to work with and learn from his daughter and for a 23-year old woman to have the opportunity to learn the ropes of entrepreneurship inspires the team. Most important, it is a great business opportunity – Kombucha sells for up to four bucks per 16 ounce bottle – and if we keep our quality high, our reputation stellar, and partner with knowledgeable and thriving Maine businesses, we will be successful.
