Interview: Michelle Grubbs, KC Kombucha, Sacramento, California
Three years ago, I visited the KC Kombucha taproom in the Oak Park neighborhood of Sacramento. News broke last week that the taproom was closing. Courtney, the founder, had sold the business to her long-time partner Michelle Grubbs.
A time of transition
Michelle has been involved with the company since 2020 and is officially taking ownership on April 1st. Our conversation covered the evolution of KC Kombucha from farmers’ markets to a taproom, and now an exclusive focus on wholesaling kegs to local businesses in the Sacramento region. A key reason for this shift is to better align with the original community-focused vision and to support other small businesses. Michelle emphasizes their commitment to being a small, local, and sustainable operation, highlighting their unique brewing process and relationships with local farmers for ingredients.
Michelle noted that COVID-19 significantly altered how people socialize and engage in community activities. As the lease renewal for the taproom approached, she and Courtney discussed whether the space was still serving its intended purpose, and they concluded that it was not.
While the taproom is closing, KC Kombucha will continue to be found on tap in various locations and at local events, maintaining its presence within the Sacramento community. Michelle believes their wholesale customers are now fulfilling that community vision by offering KC Kombucha in their establishments.
Expansion
In November 2023, KC Kombucha took over the lease of a 1,200 square foot space in Gold River from Zeal Kombucha that was closing down. They moved all brewing operations there. This move was driven by the need for increased brewing capacity and refrigeration space to meet wholesale demand. They acquired Zeal’s kegs and fermentation kettles as part of the lease takeover.
Distribution
KC Kombucha currently self-distributes using a delivery driver within the greater Sacramento region. Their reach extends as far as Auburn (northeast), Fairfield (west), Shingle Springs (towards Tahoe), and Modesto (south).
In addition to bars and cafes, KC Kombucha supplies kombucha on tap to several offices and luxury apartment complexes. They also have a few home-based customers, typically individuals with whom they have a personal relationship and who consume large quantities.
Michelle acknowledges the potential resistance from beer venues to add kombucha on tap due to line cleaning and space concerns. She proactively offers to handle the coupler replacement to ease the burden on these establishments. The positive reception is attributed to the unique taste of their kombucha and their local presence. Kombucha caters to designated drivers and those choosing not to drink alcohol, providing a non-alcoholic alternative in bars.
KC Kombucha emphasizes that it is a natural, raw, and unpasteurized product,
It’s all natural. It’s raw. We’ve never pasteurized. So the flavor is a lot lighter and we’re not carbonating as long as some of the other brands. We’re doing our carbonation in the individual five gallon kegs, not in bright tanks. So the flavor is very different than a lot of the big brands. And some people would say it doesn’t taste like kombucha. And for us, that’s OK. We don’t need it to taste like the stuff at the store. In fact, that’s what we pride ourselves on is not being like the stuff at the store. One of our taglines is we’re not your basic booch.
Company culture
The core team consists of Michelle, a brewer, a former taproom attendant transitioning to brewery/farmers market help, and a delivery driver/keg washer. Michelle prioritizes work-life balance for her team, valuing their well-being over rapid growth. She encourages a positive and supportive work environment.
Sustainability and local sourcing
KC Kombucha is committed to sustainability and recently achieved certification in five out of seven categories with the Business Environmental Resource Center (BERC). They actively partner with local farmers, purchasing “seconds” or surplus fruit at nominal cost, which they use in their kombucha and shrubs. This reduces waste for the farmers and provides them with high-quality ingredients. Michelle highlights this as a “really beautiful relationship” and a key part of their sustainability model.
Controlled growth
They are intentionally limiting their growth into larger markets like the core Bay Area to maintain their values and sustainability model:
We can only produce a certain number of kegs currently with the space and the resources we have. We’ve gotten so much larger than we were a year and a half ago. And so for now, I want to just bask in the abilities that we have at this moment, and not try and outgrow ourselves at a pace that puts us in a position where we’re not able to be who we want to be, which is small, local, and community based. While it would be great if we could get into grocery stores and all those things, I think we run the risk of changing what our values are in order to make that happen. And I don’t want to do that. I don’t want to change our values. I don’t want to change the sustainability model that we have.
Michelle intends to maintain a controlled growth trajectory, focusing on their existing Sacramento region. They are not currently prioritizing expansion into larger markets to avoid compromising their values, sustainability practices, or the natural quality of their product. The focus on wholesale, local partnerships, sustainability, and a commitment to a manageable growth rate suggests a business model centered on quality, community engagement, and long-term viability within its chosen region.
True to the KC roots
The name “KC Kombucha” will be retained as a tribute to founder Courtney, though they may start referring to it as “Keenly Crafted Kombucha. They still show up at area farmers’ markets to connect with the local community.
There’s a Grilled Cheese Festival in a couple of weeks that we’re going to be at. Earth Day Festival is one of our best events, as is a little local event called Curtis Fest that’s just at a little park. And then at the end of summer, our very best event of the year is the Chalk It Up event. It’s just a tiny little one block park in the heart of Sacramento. People go to support the arts community here in Sacramento and they draw on the sidewalks in chalk. It’s just such a cool event. And people come out to enjoy everything given the Sacramento artists scene has to offer. It’s something that Courtney started doing back in 2018 and we’ve been there ever since.
Interview
Listen to the podcast to hear Michelle discuss her plans for KC Kombucha.
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