Profile: Boochy Mama’s Kombucha, Toledo, Ohio

Stacy Jurich learned how to brew kombucha while living in Hawaii and continued once she was back in Toledo. Before long, she was delivering her home brew by bicycle to friends, in gradually increasing quantities. In 2014, on a visit to Oakland, California, she witnessed the explosion in the number of Bay Area and West Coast brands and — realizing the Midwest was several years behind — saw an opportunity to be a trend-setter back in her home state. She launched Boochy Mama’s Kombucha in January 2015.

As with any new business, she faced challenges scaling up as the company grew, making some mistakes along the way and climbing the learning curve time and again. However, she persevered and now sits comfortably as a success in the beverage industry.

She’s pleased that kombucha is now well-received across the Midwest and applauds the reception she has received locally, telling a local news outlet:

I feel like Toledo was a cheerleader for the business. It was unique enough that people could embrace it in that way, Toledo was also very forgiving. There have been flavors or batches where I’m like, this isn’t my best batch but we need to get it out. Everyone has been so encouraging since even before day one. I think that’s really helped get me through some of the more challenging times.

I don’t think that it would have been possible to start anywhere else because I relied so much on the network of friends and colleagues just for help finding spaces and pulling in resources. Having an established network to create this business from the ground up, organically, was really crucial to every step of the way. I think what’s exciting about where I’m at now, in year eight of the business – which is crazy – is to feel like the success of the business is thanks to – and celebrated by – the Toledo community.

Toldeo Region – In the Limelight

Social responsibility

Stacy is proud of being able to give back to the community. Kombucha Mama’s teaches home-brewing workshops and is organized as an environmentally and socially minded, employee-owned company. They donate 1% of all sales to grassroots Great Lakes advocacy organizations to protect and preserve the Great Lakes surrounding the Toledo Region.

Boochy Mama’s Taproom

In addition to being stocked in stores in Ohio, Michigan, Kentucky, and Indiana and being available online, they opened a taproom April this year inside the Gathered Glassblowing Studio, located in the heart of the Historic Toledo Warehouse District.

Product range

Boochy Mama’s Kombucha sells various flavors that rotate throughout the year, with seasonal ones available in the taproom. The core flavors are now in cans:

• Fairytale: Hibiscus, Rose, Mint.
• Sunlight Serenade: Lavender, Lemon, Tulsi.
• Temple of Gold: Ginger, Tumeric, Lemongrass.
• Woodland Bliss: Yerba Mate, Vanilla, Fir, Juniper.

As well as kombucha, they sell tonics such as Elderberry Syrup, a range of tinctures with ingredients such as hawthorn berries, linden, rose petals, gotu kola, rosemary, tulsi, lemon balm, and packaged herbal teas.

Podcast

Listen to the podcast to hear Stacy tell the Boochy Mama’s story.

But wait…there’s more

Check out Part 2 of my interview with Stacy, where she shares details about her Grassroots Advising small business consulting service.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: Spotify | Pandora | iHeartRadio | TuneIn | RSS