Profile: Lion Heart Kombucha, Portland, Oregon
Jared Englund founded Lion Heart Kombucha 14 years ago and named the company after his son, Lev, whose name means “lion heart.” He started teaching kombucha classes in 2008 and established Lion Heart Kombucha in 2010, brewing booch at night after work. In 2015, they moved into a 6,000-square-foot facility in an industrial facility in NE Portland, where customers can collect cans or kegs, or taste a variety of flavors in their taproom sampling area. In 2020 they switched from glass bottles to 16oz cans, a change they claim makes them more sustainable and efficient. A mobile contract canning operation visits their brewery weekly and processes the 50 barrels they now produce.
Their cans are now on the shelves in over 250 locations in Oregon, Washington, and Montana, including cafes and restaurants across the Portland area. They have also expanded their reach nationally through the many drop sites serviced by Azure Standard, ensuring that their products are available to a wider audience. They operate local delivery routes in the metro area.
Jared is aware that Oregon boasts the world’s highest per capita consumption of kombucha and attributes the success of his brand to a strong local base. Fifteen years ago it was favored by health-conscious consumers. As low-alcohol/no-alcohol consumption grows in popularity, the number of people in the region switching to kombucha has grown.
Flavors
They brew a low-sugar kombucha in various flavors, sourcing local, sustainable, and organic ingredients. A 16oz can of “Extra Dry, Extra Ginger” contains just 2g of sugar. Other flavors have 3-4g of sugar.
Standard flavors include Ginger, Raspberry, Blood Orange, Hibiscus, Blueberry/Ginger, Ginger/Lemon/Lavender, and Grape. Seasonal flavors range from Mango/Habanero, Strawberry/Lemon, Pineapple/Lime, and Dragonfruit/Passionfruit. They also produce exclusive flavors for the PDX Co-Op.
Podcast
I called by Lion Heart Kombucha unannounced and Jared graciously agreed to spend time telling me the story of his company.
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