Symbiosis Magazine – Fall 2022

The Fall 2022 edition SYMBIOSIS magazine is out now. This is the official Journal of Kombucha Brewers International, a trade publication for the kombucha industry. The first edition came out in June 2020, the second edition in September 2020, the third edition in March 2021, the fourth edition in November 2021, and the fifth edition in March 2022. This is the sixth in the series.

This edition includes the third annual Taproom Tourism Guide listing kombucha taprooms worldwide.

All editions have an ‘evergreen’ lifespan and live forever on the MagCloud.com platform. Anyone can order a printed copy that will be sent directly to them in the mail. It’s the perfect way to get our content out into the world. Order your copy from the link at the end of this post.

This magazine is not just for KBI members. The content is of value for any commercial kombucha brewer worldwide, plus the growing ranks of homebrew enthusiasts curious about scaling up or refining their technique.

Table of Contents

The 56 pages of the Fall 2022 edition includes the Taproom Guide. Regular columns include:

•     KBI President’s Letter: an update from Hannah Crum.
•     Legislation: Dave Ransom’s update on the KOMBUCHA Act.
•     Advocacy Corner: KBI saves the day in South Carolina.
•     Producer Profile: Local Roots, a taproom and brewery in Southern California.
•     Women in Kombucha: Jeanette and Lyz Macias, Seeking Ferments, Seattle.
•     Book Review: The Republic of Tea, by Mel & Patricia Ziegler and Bill Rosenzweig.

Feature Articles

• Kombucha Financing: Creative and proven ways to fund your business.
• KBI Report: an update on the Board and new dues.
• KKON Reports: Photo galley, Kombucha Kup winners, and Judging experience.
• Global Report: Kombucha companies in Portugal.
• Science of Kombucha: The Kombucha Genomics Project at the Counter Culture Labs in Oakland, California.
• Kulture Korner – Rebranding: Showcasing the new look embraced by nine distinctive brands.

Taproom Tourism Guide

A listing of 146 locations around the world, from Macau to Uruguay, where you’ll find kombucha on tap.

Letter from the Editor

Welcome to the Fall 2022 edition of SYMBIOSIS.

We’ve reached a milestone with this, the sixth edition of the magazine, two years after launching our first Summer 2020 edition.

There’s a wide range of articles for you to enjoy, from funding ideas to the science of kombucha, in-depth profiles, and book reviews. The task of gathering information has been made much easier with the help of our two associate editors. We met Diane and Denisse at the KKON Conference in Long Beach, and they responded to the call for help. There’s room for anyone else with a story to tell or a willingness to research trends and report on developments in the industry. If you’d like to help, email me at editor@symbiosismag.com.

KKON was a great occasion to network with suppliers and other brewers. A highlight was the Kombucha Kup, which eight of us spent two full days judging and selecting winners in seven categories worthy of Gold, Silver, and Bronze awards. Head judge Linsday Barr, who works with beverage companies to apply tasting data to their product development process, shares her insights in an exclusive interview.

A highlight of the conference was a visit to Local Roots Kombucha in Vista and the Fermentation Farm in Costa Mesa. We profiled Dr. Yas of the fermentation Farm in our Spring 2022 edition. You can now read the story of Local Roots, founded by cousins Ryan White & Joe Carmichael. They shared every aspect of their hard kombucha production process during the site visit. If you missed the tour, catch the details here.

We also profile Jeanette and Lyz Macias, who founded Seattle-based Seeking Ferments. In the three years since opening, they’ve enjoyed tremendous growth purely from word of mouth. They share the story of their growth and future plans.

A well-attended conference session on creative financing prompted us to highlight case studies where grants, donations of space, and crowdfunding have helped companies on the growth path.

I recently took a series of classes at the Counter Culture Labs in Oakland, California learning simple laboratory techniques to analyze kombucha biochemistry. These are similar to the skills Keisha Rose Harrison taught in her workshop at KKON. I interviewed lab co-founder Patrik D’haeseleer about the techniques any commercial brewer can employ. Patrik lists inexpensive options for DNA genome sequencing. He recommends finding a community lab near you to start doing biochemical analysis.

As the kombucha market becomes increasingly competitive, a growing number of brands are launching a new look. We’ve assembled a few examples of companies that engaged professional help to rebrand. Take a look at our Kulture Korner for inspiration.

Our third Taproom Tourism guide lists the growing number of kombucha taprooms worldwide. Print copies can be ordered in bulk from MagCloud and would make a great addition to any taproom for your clients to purchase.

As always, SYMBIOSIS is an evergreen publication with past editions available for download or as a hard copy via the print-on-demand MagCloud platform.

Order your copy today

Print-on-demand and downloadable PDF versions are available from MagCloud. It’s printed in the US, UK, and mainland Europe with local postage rates.