Raise a glass to Kombu kombucha – delicious drinks that are good for you and the planet!
There’s lots to love about the way geologist-turned-kombucha-connoisseur David Hamilton-Smith brews his Kombu beverages. With a focus on health, sustainability and, above all, deliciousness, Kombu kombucha is making the world a better place one tasty drink at a time!
For the uninitiated, kombucha is essentially a fizzy fermented tea (Kombu uses a blend of green and black) – that’s naturally low in sugar and bursting with probiotics and antioxidants. David goes above and beyond basic buch, sourcing and pairing the best fruit with interesting aromatic elements – think thyme and raspberry or lemon myrtle with ginger.
“It all comes back to the goal of achieving a full-flavoured kombucha that tastes good,” says David. “We put a lot of focus on using big flavours that really pop.”
It’s a case of New Year, New Kombu for David and the team, who have been busy overhauling the whole range and business model to kick off 2021. “Firstly, we wanted to make Kombu a healthier drink – they now contain 50% less sugar,” says David. “It took a long time to work out how to do this without losing the essence of Kombu (sugar makes things taste great), but we're stoked with the end result.”
Kombucha that’s good for you and for the planet
Kombu has also moved away from glass bottles to 100% recyclable mini cans. “With the continued environmental issues we're facing as a planet, we wanted to be more aware of reducing our environmental impact as a business,” notes David. “Cans are a friendlier option, which sealed the deal!” David also sees a tree planted for every case of Kombu sold through his website and donates 1% of all sales to environmental initiatives aimed at protecting the planet. Go team!
Kombucha came along as a bit of a hobby for David – “it was the perfect mix of science and the creativity of cooking,” he says. “It was actually my father in-law who suggested I tried to commercialise the kombucha I was forcing upon friends and family (they all loved it by the way). It took about 12 months and in hindsight I didn't know what I was doing when I started, but that challenge to learn and grow to make the business sustainable was the satisfaction I had been longing for.”
