World Kombucha Awards: A Call for Cooperation
Before announcing the winning brands at the World Kombucha Conference on Saturday, organizer Jordi Canet delivered an impassioned plea for kombucha companies to work together to unite and strengthen the global kombucha community.
In considering the future of the kombucha sector in the market, he proposed the tagline ‘Fermentation is Transformation’ to show how something simple can become extraordinary. Along with ‘Together we Could Brew a Better Future,’ Jordi reminded us that unity — one community, and one culture, can deliver infinite possibilities.
Jordi has a background in the drinks industry and believes that kombucha has the potential to become the global flavor alternative to alcohol. But warned this will only work if we do it together as a sector, not individually, with the support of KBI.
His slides (shared with his express permission) listed five areas he suggests that the kombucha sector should focus on.
Unite
Jordi acknowledged the companies at the event were not the world’s largest producers (heck, why would GT Dave, Beatriz Magro, or Nuria Morales spend their hard-earned money entering a competition like this?), but the brands in the room were clearly among the best. Since they are small fish in a big pond, they win by cooperating, “making the pie bigger,” and grow together rather than going after each other. Cooperation, not competition, was Silicon Valley’s advantage, as was building a regional identity among winemakers in the Napa Valley and La Rioja.
Kombucha can do the same. Together, you can make the world fall in love with kombucha.
The long-delayed KBI Verified Seal Program is now available for KBI members to adopt as form of market differentiation and to gain consumer trust.
Focus & Partner
Here are some specific tactics to build the value of kombucha as a distinct category.
While some brands are indeed positioning their beverages as suitable accompaniments to fine dining, not all chose to. Some are sweeter, an alternative to sugar-heavy soda, or aimed squarely at the gut health consumer. But all can collaborate with lifestyle influencers in their niche to grow. There are opportunities to engage Followers on social media by employing influencers. That said, it is a strategy that carries some risks.
Innovate
Marketing types are fond of saying that people prefer the stories behind the products to the products themselves. Indeed, some brands have succeeded with absurd stories that nevertheless ignite interest in the product. We all like experiences. We all like what is behind the product. You will engage more if you sell a story about your product. And why not develop a unified sector identity for the kombucha movement as a whole, one that represents the entire community?
Educate
HORECA = “Hotels, Restaurants, and Catering (or Cafes)” — I had to look it up!
I would love to hear examples of kombucha brands providing tailored training on food pairings and presenting kombucha to their customers. This assumes you in fact have hotels, restaurants, and cafes in your region that actually stock ‘booch. My experience as a consumer in the San Francisco Bay Area is that it’s rare to find kombucha on menus. Surprisingly, this was not the case in SE Asia, where many cafes in Ho Chi Minh City stocked it, and it was even more common in Malaysia.
Who woulda thunk?
