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Kombucha Brewers International (KBI) are calling for legislation to stabilize the kombucha industry and protect brewers. The KOMBUCHA Act (Keeping Our Manufacturers from Being Unfairly taxed while Championing Health Act), raising the level at which kombucha brewers will be subject to the regulations imposed on alcoholic beverages in the United States from 0.5% to 1.25%, has been introduced in Congress. Increasing the alcohol allowance will make it easier for all brewers to deliver the benefits of authentic, living kombucha to everyone. Kombucha would still have to meet the health and safety requirements generally applicable to nonalcoholic beverages as well as certain beverage alcohol labeling requirements.  Sign the petition KBI invite any US-based kombucha brewer and all US kombucha lovers to click the link on their lobbying page and sign a petition to ask your local Congressperson and Senator to support the KOMBUCHA Act. It only takes a couple of minutes and your message will let leadership know that as a consumer, you want access to traditionally fermented, raw and unpasteurized kombucha.  https://kombuchabrewers.org/lobbying/ KBI have been trying to get the legislation passed since 2017. The petition will demonstrate consumer support for the bill. Bipartisan support Three key legislators support the KOMBUCHA Act. Congressman Adrian Smith (R-NE) continues as Ranking Republican on the House Ways and Means Committee’s Subcommittee on Select Revenue Measures for the 117th Congress. Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR). Congressman Blumenauer is a senior member of the Ways and Means Committee, the tax-writing committee in the House. Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR) is the new Chairman of the powerful Senate Finance Committee, which among other things considers all tax legislation. “The growth of kombucha production in our state and throughout the country creates jobs and a tasty beverage. This legislation would update taxes and regulations so these small businesses can continue to build on their achievements creating good jobs and good flavor for kombucha’s many fans.” – Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR) Original Sponsor of the KOMBUCHA Act. 2016-2021 “It’s important that our tax code evolve[s] to address its unintended consequences on emerging industries, and its effect on kombucha manufacturers is an example of why Congress must act to amend it. This bipartisan legislation is a commonsense fix that will provide regulatory and tax relief to small businesses in Colorado and throughout this country so that they can continue to create good-paying jobs.” – Sen. Cory Gardner (R-CO) Original Sponsor of the KOMBUCHA Act. 2016. Podcast I asked KBI President Hannah Crum for an update on the progress of the KOMBUCHA Act. To hear what she told me click on the podcast. The post Tell Congress you support the KOMBUCHA Act! appeared first on 'Booch News.

Lucas Montanari is a biologist specializing in Natural Fermentation with a postgraduate degree in Nutrigenomics and Functional Foods, Integrative Nutrition Health Coach by IIN (NY / USA) and a professor at the FAMESP Graduate Program in Functional Gastronomy. He is the founder of Fermenta Com Ciência (Fermenting with Science), where he teaches courses, lectures, and consults. He is also the organizer of the Brazilian Kombucha Festival. Brazil is a real hotbed for kombucha brewing, with over 250 commercial companies listed in the Worldwide Directory. There’s no-one better placed than Lucas to help us understand this exciting market. Lucas discovered kombucha while living in Australia in 2013. He taught his first course in Brazil in 2015, and has now trained thousands of “Kombucheiros” with on-site and now online courses. He is also on the Technical Board of ABKOM (Brazilian Kombucha Association) and researches the benefits of kombucha. Online courses Since the pandemic last year, Lucas has moved to 100% online courses. He teaches an Advanced Commercial Kombucha course on industrial production and marketing as well as courses on home brewing. Virtual Kombucha Summit The Virtual Kombucha Summit gives access to 16 lectures originally shown at the European Summit and kombucheiros talking about production scheduling, the science of Kombucha, the status of the market, and much more. All videos — including my own presentation on worldwide kombucha market trends — have subtitles in Portuguese (including mine) Online Kombucha Festival The online Brazilian Kombucha Festival aims to unite kombucha lovers from all over Brazil and everyone connected to this drink in some way, including consumers, artisanal and professional producers, equipment stores and fermentation supplies, establishments that sell the drink, tea and fermentation specialists, medical-scientific researchers, professors, and professional kombucha consultants. It aims to strengthen and take root the “kombucheira” culture in Brazil, to present it to those who do not know it yet and to improve the techniques of those who already produce it, in addition to expanding the kombucha market to another level of growth, bringing more health and prosperity to all. Organized in the format of Online Congress, it has more than 25 lectures, classes, and live interaction, giving an opportunity to learn in the first and largest event 100% dedicated to kombucha in Brazil. Podcast To hear from Lucas first-hand about his mission to make a healthier world by encouraging the development of the thriving Brazilian kombucha scene, tune in to the podcast interview. The post Profile: Lucas Montanari, Fermenta Com Ciência appeared first on 'Booch News.

I came across a young man who is an enthusiastic kombucha reviewer. He’s collected dozens of brands from local stores and plans to publish reviews of them on his Kold Kombucha Instagram and YouTube channels. Eric Brown first tasted kombucha as a ten-year-old when his father gave him a sample. The sour taste did not appeal. He rediscovered the drink when he decided to embrace a healthier lifestyle in his teens. He found it was a perfect replacement for high-fructose corn syrups. Now serving in the United States Airforce he has embraced kombucha with a passion. He shares kombucha with his friends on base and takes it with him on road trips. One trip took him to Bend, Oregon, where he visited the Humm Kombucha Taproom. His detailed review of GT’s Original Recipe is based on the format of Gary Vaynerchuk’s Wine Library TV that aims to “break down the barriers, stereotypes, and misperceptions that otherwise prevent people from exploring and enjoying the exciting and rewarding world of wine.” There are over 70 kombucha reviewers helping do the same for kombucha, and brands should support reviewers like Eric who are doing a great job to evangelize this healthful beverage Podcast To hear more from Eric in his own words, click on the podcast below. The post Eric Brown: Kombucha Reviewer appeared first on 'Booch News.

I met Andrew Mills online at the recent virtual Kombucha Summit. He held an impromptu Zoom tour of his facility, showcasing his compact production area in a barn on his property in Buckinghamshire, England. He built it for just £12,000 ($16,000). His motivation was to find a use for the abundance of honey from the beehives he and his wife care for. After experimenting with meade (too sweet), and before he’d even heard of kombucha, he started fermenting Jun and was delighted with the results. The story of Nunc Living Jun-Kombucha began in 2018, when Andrew decided to live more in the present — Nunc is the Latin word for now. Hence, Nunc Living = Living for Now. A taste of honey Andrew is passionate about bees and the unpasteurized honey that is the raw material for his business. He keeps three hives, named Beatrix, Jasmine, and Shelia after their queens. As winter arrives, he watches female worker bees cast out the male drones to freeze to death in the icy cold, securing the limited food supply for the rest of the hive. Indeed, the life of a drone is fraught with danger. This beekeeper website tells us: Each must first compete with other drones to mate with a queen bee–the queen mates with multiple drones for greater sperm selection. The 10-20 drones that succeed in mating with a queen must compete with hundreds or thousands of other drones, depending upon the population at the drone congregating area. When a drone mates with a queen and releases his semen, it happens with such a force that his endophallus is ripped from his abdomen. When his abdomen rips open, he usually dies shortly after. Ouch. Nunc Jun-Kombucha is fermented in small batches using raw honey, green teas, and premium botanicals. When Nunc started, they exclusively used their own honey. They knew exactly how the bees had been treated and the quality of the honey. As they have grown, they have begun to source honey from nearby beekeepers. This allows them to check that the bees are kept to a high standard. Honey is a precious ingredient they treat with care. For example, they make sure the temperature of the honey never exceeds beehive temperature (35C). Every batch of Nunc is unique. While they brew in a manner to minimize the differences between batches, they recognize that raw honey tastes different depending on what flowers the bees have been visiting. They select green teas that compliment the flavors of the raw honey. Flavors Juni-Purr contains Mao Feng green tea and juniper berries. Rose Blush is made with Darjeeling green tea, rose petals, and hibiscus flowers. Hops Monster is an award-winning blend of Japanese sencha green tea and three types of hops. A mere six months after it was introduced, Hops Monster flavor was awarded a star by the UK’s Great Taste Awards. “Bright and effervescent in the glass. The aroma is hugely inviting… Bright and clean on the palate… The finish is clean, with some length of soft sourness, and inspires further sipping.”—- Feedback from one of the judges in the Great Taste Awards Challenges Following his early experiments with brewing jun, Andrew was ready to launch the brand in March of this year — just as the COVID-19 pandemic arrived. A friend with a gourmet coffee business had arranged to accompany him to music and cultural festivals around Britain. Indeed, that was why he chose to use cans–festival sites ban glass containers. With the festivals canceled, the primary revenue source has been local shops and an increasing online presence. Nunc is available from Wise Bartender, The Food Market, and The Thyme Store. Another challenge that Andrew faces is the concern some vegans have about consuming honey. That and the certification to prove they have an organic product–since the bees might collect pollen from non-organic sources. Nunc is addressing this issue: According to the UK Soil Association, to be certified organic, 95% of the ingredients in our brews need to be organic – and guess what? Over 95% of the ingredients we use in our three flavours are organic. So why aren’t we organic? Well, it costs money, and as we are a small business, money is tight. So, whilst being organic is important to us, we do have other priorities right now, but please be rest assured, in the coming months, our drinks will be certified by the Soil Association as organic. Symbiosis Andrew is a big believer in the value of people in this industry sharing information to help each other out. He connected with Adam Vanni from Jarr Kombucha after hearing the March 31 podcast interview on Booch News. He shared details about his equipment and process on his Kombucha Summit virtual brewery tour. Indeed, as you’ll hear in the podcast, Andrew has extended an open invitation for anyone with questions about his operation to contact him. Podcast Listen to the podcast to hear the story of Nunc Living in Andrew’s own words. The post Profile: Nunc Living Jun, Buckingham, UK appeared first on 'Booch News.

Olga Sorzano was introduced to kombucha in Siberia by her grandmother, Baba, who kept a jar of continuous brew fermenting on top of her refrigerator year-round. “I would visit her and use any excuse to have a chance to taste her delicious kombucha. I’d say, ‘Baba my belly hurts,’ and she would say, ‘have some kombucha.’ I would say, ‘my leg hurts,’ and she would say, ‘have some kombucha.’ ” Little did Olga know, but years later, some of Baba’s original SCOBY would launch her commercial production with a brand named Baba’s Brew after the grandmother she loved. Baba’s mother was one of the Volga Germans deported to Siberia in the 1940s. When Baba was a young girl, her father affectionately called her “Little Red Squirrel” due to her fiery red hair. This nickname stuck with her throughout her life and was Olga’s inspiration for the distinctive company logo. People in Siberia understood that kombucha had great alkalizing effects, was loaded with vitamin C. They drank it because they felt the health effects. They infused it with chaga and other mushrooms to make it as potent as possible and help them survive really brutal Siberian winters. Flavors Olga has the same philosophy her Baba had. Baba’s Brew is infused with organic whole berries or fruit, herbs, and spices. Her brews, like Purple Rain (blueberry-ginger) and Flower Power (lavender, rose, tulsi, and hibiscus) are flavored with whole fruits and spices— not juices or extracts—because that’s the way her grandmother did it. Ruby Sipper has vibrant notes of tart cherries & cranberries. Crisp and clean. It makes a killer margarita. Bee’s Knees is silky smooth with calming notes of warm caramel and honeysuckle, together with soothing and relaxing flavors of chamomile and a touch of local wildflower honey. Believe is a distinctively bright & lively ‘booch with juniper berries, ginger root, lemon balm, yerba mate, and chlorophyll. Launching Baba’s Brew After attending a 2014 Fermentation Festival in Santa Barbara, Olga and her husband decided to launch Pennsylvania’s first kombucha brewery. They started out with a small 70 sq. ft. facility and now occupy 6,000 sq. ft. Her goal is to become a strong local brand that will always use locally sourced ingredients and support the community. This 2017 interview with Olga tells the full story: Podcast To hear more of Olga’s story in her own words, including how her childhood love of the original ‘Baba’s Brew’ in Siberia has influenced her, and her plans for the company, listen to the podcast. The post Profile: Baba’s Brew, Phoenixville, PA appeared first on 'Booch News.

Artizen Kombucha was co-founded by Russian immigrant Daria (Dasha) Konstantinovna Smolentseva and her husband Sebastien Armand. It’s a thriving small-batch kombucha company rooted in the Ontario landscape, its community, and seasonal local ingredients. Their typical customers are young families interested in healthy options and a strong desire to support their local community. Dasha and Sebastien make sure to speak the language of these mainstay customers and serve their needs. Dasha grew up drinking her grandmothers kombucha in Siberia, helping brew the “mushroom tea” when she was just seven years old. They started their company in 2012 with the aim of bringing healthy food to the Ottawa region. Since 2016 they’ve focused exclusively on kombucha. They were encouraged by support from local government agencies, including a mentor from The Launch Lab. In 2017 Daria organized the first and now annual gathering of Commercial Kombucha Brewers from Quebec, to Laurentian, to Prince Edward County in an effort to unite brewers and create a collaborative supportive craft kombucha culture. Flavors Sebastien constantly refines and experiments with a wide variety of flavors. Seven staple flavors are offered year-round: Tart Cherry, Lemon Ginger, Pomegranate Lemon, Wild Blueberry Grape, Hibiscus Lemon, Raspberry Hibiscus, Turmeric Zinger. They offer Fall seasonal flavors on tap:  Cherry Turmeric, Cranberry Apple, Apple Cinnamon, Turmeric Pineapple, Pumpkin Spice , HummingBird Chocolate, Sumac Lemon Thyme, Mango Turmeric , Maple Coffee, Mango Ginger, Matcha Kombucha, Raspberry Chai, Raspberry Chocolate Their Spring / Summer seasonal flavors on tap include: Lilac Blossom, Spring Rejuvenate (high mountain oolong, mint, sage, dandelion root), Haskap Berry with Wild Blueberry, Raspberry Haskap, Royal Rhubarb, Strawberry Rhubarb, Strawberry Lime, Black Garlic, Black Garlic Chai, Mint Lime, Cucumber Lemon, Mango Turmeric, Raspberry Sangria, Black Currant Basil, Pink Lemonade, Watermelon Lime, ​Garden to Glass Series, Raspberry Mint, Blueberry Mint, Blackberry Cherry North Folk Cafe Taproom By creatively responding to the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, they grew the business 30% this year despite the loss of wholesale accounts. They responded with Bubble and Bites food boxes which include kombucha along with a range of local foods. Their loyal following doubled-up on orders when the pandemic hit. When the opportunity arose, they opened their Cafe and Taproom. In addition to kombucha on tap and great coffee, they offer a wide variety of Bubbles and Bites food pairings, host workshops, and sell loose leaf teas. Podcast To hear Dasha describe the origins of the company and the growing business in her own words, listen to the podcast.     The post Profile: Artizen Kombucha, Perth, Ontario, Canada appeared first on 'Booch News.

It was Liz Mclaughlin’s dream to start New Life Force Kombucha. Quite literally, she had a dream of Saint Patrick – the patron saint of Ireland – gaining ‘new life force’ from a sustaining drink. Liz writes: … he became weary and thirsty and happened upon the town of Derry/Londonderry, in Northern Ireland. He had heard about the clear running streams that filtered down from the River Foyle and drank heavily from the heavenly waters.He filled his flask full as he continued on his journey with new life force.  He noticed his energies increased, he moved quicker and his aches and pains subsided.  He travelled south to Westport in County Mayo, where he began to pray and before he knew it he found himself at the top of the mountain we now know as Croagh Patrick. She’d discovered kombucha on a trip to the States in 2016. She founded her company with the purpose of introducing kombucha to the wider community in Northern Ireland. While still brewing at home, and keeping her day job, Liz has found one-on-one marketing of her flavors directly to customers in the shops that carry her brand is a great way of getting the word out. Future plans Liz has plans to move into a shared commercial kitchen space and is hopeful that she can secure support from Social Enterprise Northern Ireland to help grow her business. Flavors The four flavors are all created with locally sourced, organic ingredients. She reports that Lemon, Ginger and Turmeric is one of the more popular flavors. Podcast Listen to the podcast to hear more about Liz’s journey and her plans for the future of New Life Force. The post Profile: New Life Force Kombucha, Derry, Northern Ireland appeared first on 'Booch News.

I recently interviewed Mannanova Solutions‘ founder and president Sébastien Bureau. He spent several years as VP of R&D for Rise Kombucha, the biggest Kombucha company in Canada, and played a critical role in its growth. He left in 2014 to start a kombucha consulting business. Mannonova Solutions, based in Montreal, offers consulting services, online masterclass training, and product. Sébastien is the author of Fermentation Revolution and a new book on kombucha – currently available in French Révolution kombucha Tout ce qu’il faut savoir pour le brasser vous-même. An English translation is planned. Consulting Mannanova offers worldwide consulting services and solutions. Their expertise is in the production of natural, fermented beverages and food, as well as the development and implementation of production lines. Sébastien highlights three of the main recommendations he makes as a consultant. Addressing the conflict between the needs of a “happy culture” and “happy clients” — a culture that thrives might be unstable and inconsistent. Clients want a beverage with a predictable flavor and guaranteed levels of alcohol.Encouraging new brewers to invest in pumps as an essential step on the road to becoming a professional operation. Stop carrying around buckets. Helping ensure the safety of your crew in the brewery. People are around boiling liquids and cleaning products and need to make safety their main priority. “We address the many mistakes new brewers can make. The main issue people have to deal with, especially when they start producing larger quantities, is excess alcohol, which is where we go from being useful to being indispensable.” Kombucha masterclass The Kombucha Masterclass is an online class with 60+ lessons and 14 hours of video, Itt provides the methodologies, tools, and techniques to brew kombucha successfully on a commercial scale. Manna-K Manna-K is a highly-fermented, alcohol-free, high-density, green tea kombucha. With its high tea concentration and six-month-long fermentation time, Manna-K is a blend used to prepare kombucha. It can be stored at room temperature for six years because all the fermentable sugars have already been eaten up. The inspiration was the technique used by Belgian brewers who take old, mature beer and blend it with younger beers to produce gueuze. Only 6-10% of Manna-K is needed to achieve the desired results. Benefits include Reducing the alcohol in kombucha: Manna-K prevents refermentation, which causes alcohol in kombucha (which is naturally up to 2% ABV). Manna-K guarantees your product stays under 0.5% ABV, and doesn’t go over the legal limit.Increasing existing production capacity by 10x: Just a bit of long-fermented Manna-K packs a flavor punch. This means you only need to add a small percentage. Reducing the production cycle: Because the brew won’t require secondary fermentation to be ready, you can brew and package in one day.Solving supply issues: The product allows brewers to scale up and fill a big order. Trends I asked Sébastien for his thoughts on the future of the industry. He saw the rise of hard kombucha as “interesting, it will have it’s run, but will not become as big as standard kombucha.” He’s convinced that local craft brands have a healthy, sustainable future. “People think the market is saturated, but there’s always going to be room for small, taproom-style brands that have a local identity. The farm-to-glass products are basically where kombucha came from. That’s where it was born. And that’s the beauty of kombucha, these artisanal brands. The KBI Code of Practice Standard of Identity enables these small brewers to be recognized as delivering high-quality kombucha, made with local ingredients.” Podcast Listen to the podcast to hear the Mannanova Solutions story in Sébastien’s own words. The post Mannanova Solutions: Commercial kombucha production experts appeared first on 'Booch News.

Kombucha brewers understand the importance of tracking their data, whether in a spreadsheet, paper logs, or an electronic brewery management system. However, most of the data ends up sitting in a binder or locked in a spreadsheet. The main reason? People don’t know what to do with all those numbers and with all that data. Software developed by The 5th Ingredient has the answer. Their original product, Beer30, created for the craft beer industry, is now available in a kombucha-specific version. The all-in-one package was developed in conjunction with San Francisco Bay Area-based hard kombucha brewer, Dr Hops Kombucha Beer. I recently talked with The 5th Ingredient CEO, Pulkit K. Agrawal, to learn more about the features that make this a solution for kombucha brewers of all sizes – from the smallest to largest. The system tracks all aspects of the brewing and distribution process: This flowchart shows how it integrates your data from “tea-to-glass.” Comprehensive tracking The software contains all the information you need about the core tea and core sugar for the base recipe. Bucha30 makes it easy to go back and look at brews and analyze flavors and taste and how it fermented. This helps increase quality and figure out what’s working – and what’s not. Agrawal explains that “Being able to track recipes on our system takes the hard work out of monitoring your sugar and tea levels. It keeps your inventory up to date and data on your recipes all in one place. What’s more, we allow unlimited users, so that everyone can input and view data, from inventory to brewing, and from the lab tech side of things to sales and distribution, bookkeeping, and accounting. So this really closes the entire supply chain.” It’s mobile, laptop, and tablet accessible. The starter system costs as little as $125 per month for small breweries doing less than 30,000 gallons annually, and increases depending on brewery size. Their largest beer customers manage the production of 55,000 barrels (1.75 million gallons) annually. The system and comes with 7×24 support and data is secured on The 5th Ingredient servers. User friendly The 5th Ingredient aims to create user-friendly systems. It presents the data in a way that is easy to understand. It allows gross costs per brew to be compared against profit margins and other expenses. Brewers can analyze the health associated with harvesting the SCOBY and add that to the overall COGS (cost of goods sold) for that particular brew. Podcast Listen to the podcast to hear Pulkit describe the Bucha30 system in more detail. The post Bucha30: All-in-one kombucha brewery management software appeared first on 'Booch News.

Kombucha Town is a successful Seattle-area kombucha brand with sales up from $1.1m to $1.4m over the last year. They were the first brand to sell kombucha in recyclable cans. Since 2011, they’ve sold a cumulative one million cans — keeping a million bottles out of landfills. Over 1,600 stores in 24 States carry the brand. This growth has occurred despite being under-capitalized, raising just $500,000 in equity to date. They’re poised to expand their product offerings to include a new line of Live Seltzer, a kids line of kombucha, performance-enhancing recovery drinks, alcohol or ‘hard’ kombucha, and much more. Fundraising On August 11th, they started raising capital via a community crowdfunding campaign on StartEngine, a tool that helps everyday people invest and buy shares in startups and early growth companies. This is different from the more well-known GoFundfMe donation system. Investors can potentially make a healthy return on their investment via Convertible Promissory Notes being sold in minimum amounts of $250 per investor at a 15% discount that offers an 8% return rate added to the investment. The shares convert after two years or when the company has raised $1 million from all sources. Over the first seven weeks, the Start Engine campaign has reached 108 investors raising almost $90,000. What investors get Shares of equity in KombuchaTown in the form of Convertible Promissory Notes. Incentives such as discounts on kombucha, backpacks, and other gear.Supporting the environment via tree planting with One Tree Planted. They have already planted 3,200 trees on more than 15 acres of reforested land in the Pacific Northwest to secure salmon habitats in nearby waters. Rewards kick in at different levels of investment: Level 1: $250 – Can growler + 10 trees Level 2: $500 – cooler backpack ($25/$30) + 20 trees Level 3: $1,000 – 3 months product + 50 trees + Access to the brewers’ reserve flavorLevel 4: $2,500 – 10% off for life! + 150 trees + Access to Brewers’ reserve flavorLevel 7: $5,000 – Private Cocktail Experience/Mixologist + 250 trees + access to brewers reserve flavor + 9% Annual Interest Rate on notesLevel 8: $10,000 – VIP Experience + 500 trees + access to brewers reserve flavor + 10% Annual Interest Rate on notes Why the funds are needed The funds generated in Kombucha Town’s campaign will help launch a new line of Live Seltzer. This innovative product is ready to ship to retail outlets. The campaign runs until mid-November. Podcast To hear more details about this investment opportunity, click on the podcast below. Disclaimer The content of this article is presented for informational purposes only. I am not an investment advisor, nor do I have any financial interest or sponsorship relationship with KombuchaTown. Check with your qualified financial advisors before proceeding. If you know of other kombucha-related investment opportunities, please send details to ian@boochnews.com. The post Investment opportunity: KombuchaTown equity crowdfunding campaign appeared first on 'Booch News.

In this interview, Jarr Kombucha co-founder Adam Vanni updates us on the relocation of his brewery from East London in the UK to the Belgian city of Oudenaarde and the 350-year-old Liefmans Brewery. Following the 2018 acquisition by Belgium family-owned brewery Duvel Moortgat, Jarr has continued to refine its premium offering. The move to Belgium, and decommissioning of the Hackney Wick brewery, was underway before the current coronavirus emergency. In this interview Vanni shares details of the move as well as: The advantages of having an EU-base in a post-Brexit world.An exclusive announcement of their use of cans in addition to bottles.Details of their fermentation technique in closed containers with a “liquid SCOBY’.How filtration allows them to distribute ambient-temperature kombucha without resorting to pasteurization.Where he sees the market for kombucha in the future.Why they stepped away from selling kombucha on draft. NEWSFLASH: Adam will host an Instagram Live conversation with GT Dave at noon (Pacific), 8:00 pm (GMT), on Sunday, April 5. Tune in on the Jarr Kombucha Instagram feed. The post Interview: Adam Vanni, Jarr Kombucha appeared first on 'Booch News.

Brewing commercial quantities of kombucha is a challenge. To produce ‘booch with consistent taste, that meets customers’ expectations and passes inspection, a number of parameters need to be carefully measured and controlled. Accurate measurement enables better control of the fermentation and in the quality of the finished product. Traditionally, kombucha companies have relied on external labs to test samples. This involves delays and even reports of inconsistent results. Earlier this week, I spoke with Dr. Simone Bellassai, a Division Manager at CDR FoodLab in Florence, Italy. His company has recently introduced a compact ‘lab in a box’ solution that gives real-time analysis of samples, performed in-house, at an affordable price. Dr. Bellassai reviewed the features and benefits of their new system — the podcast audio of the interview is available below. Key parameters The three key parameters are levels of alcohol, acids, and sugars. The majority of kombucha sold lists alcohol content below 0.5%.  Legally, higher concentrations require registration of the beverage as alcoholic. Measuring ABV levels with a hydrometer works well for beer and wine but can be a problem with the low levels found in ‘booch. During fermentation, the symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeasts promotes the formation of acetic, gluconic, and lactic acid. The quantity of these acids influences the organoleptic characteristics of the finished product. It’s critical to measure sugar levels to know when to stop fermentation once the optimal level has been reached. The CDR KombuchaLab system CDR KombuchaLab is a fully-functional laboratory for the chemical analyses of kombucha. It’s a complete system, equipped with everything needed to carry out checks during the entire production process, from the beginning of fermentation to the bottling of the finished product. The lab sits on a desk and enables brewers to choose the most appropriate production strategies to achieve the desired organoleptic characteristics. It can be used by anyone, even if they have no experience in laboratory techniques. What’s more, the system gives real-time results, meaning brewers can promptly take the best action. Components KombuchaLab is a two-part solution. The analyzer, based on photometric technology, is available in a Standard or Junior versions. Both are equipped with state-of-the-art LED emitters, reading cells and 37°C thermostated incubation cells. A low toxicity, disposable reagent is required. Reagents are pre-vialed, sold in packages of 10 or 100 tests. Analysis The KombuchaLab performs a wide range of analytic tests: Alcohol by Volume Acetic Acid Fermentable Sugars Gluconic Acid Total Lactic Acid Yeast Assimilable Nitrogen (YAN) Glycerol Total Polyphenols Pricing CDR sell a Standard system for approximately €6,000.The Junior System, offering a smaler number of tests, is half this cost.Reagents, in sealed packages, are sold in lots of 10 or 100 for €3.5 – €4.00 per test. The systems are available in the US through their distributor Quartz Analytics. Podcast To hear what Dr. Bellassai told me about the new KombuchaLab product, click on the podcast icon below. The post Interview: Dr. Simone Bellassai, CDR FoodLab, Florence, Italy appeared first on 'Booch News.