3: The Future of Processed Foods
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Its about as ubiquitous, too: Theres certainly no shortage of brands bottling the probiotic drink.
At some stores, like Whole Foods, the coolers packed with kombucha take up an entire wall.
Milan Jordan is the founder of Cultured Kombucha, a Black-owned kombucha brand based in Washington D.C.
Yet while theres a wide variance in flavors being offeredeverything from blueberry basil to jalapeno kiwithe diversity stops there.
The kombucha industry is a very white industry, says Kemiko Lawrence, owner ofKemboocha.
Kemiko Lawrence is the owner and head brewer of Kemboocha, a Black-owned kombucha brand based it Atlanta, Georgia.
When you have someone of color brewing kombucha, its almost like, what?!'
Of these, all but Health-Ade are 100 percent white-owned.
These four giants account for 85 percent of kombucha sales in the U.S. We would have these kombucha potlucks where everyone would bring kombucha they made.
People really liked mine and kept telling me I should sell it, she says.
At the time, Jordan says she didnt know of any BIPOC-owned kombucha brands.
People of color hadnt quite warmed up to the kombucha space yet.
Many people told me this was the first kombucha they tried.
They heard it was good and saw someone who looked like them who was making it.
That really excited me.
Kemiko Lawrence is the owner and head brewer of Kemboocha, a Black-owned kombucha brand based it Atlanta, Georgia.
Many people told me this was the first kombucha they tried.
They heard it was good and saw someone who looked like them who was making it.
Ten percent of her profits are also donated to Native American charities.
There are other Black people brewing kombucha.
Im not the only one.
We want to bring this product that we know is beneficial to the Black community.
And this goes back to being left out of a larger conversation in the wellness industry.
We have been left out of access and left out of the privilege.
And this goes back to being left out of a larger conversation in the wellness industry.
Women- and minority-owned businesses struggle to attain funding, which is important for long-term success, she says.
I want to show people of color that this is something for them.
Kombucha is for them.
Representation is so important in wellness.
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