We were lucky to catch up with Brendan Multala recently and have shared our conversation below.

Brendan, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Let’s start with the story of your mission. What should we know?

The story behind my brand, Kombucharista, is to reach a new audience. Kombucha is a flavored, fermented beverage that offers benefits like probiotics and micronutrients, but I wanted to create something bigger. With Kombucharista, I set out on curating and experimenting with completely different flavors that have never been on the market. It was crucial for me to make a beverage that would entice a large audience, and with kombucha having only %0.5 alcohol per serving, I figured “why not make this more interesting for people?” With this in mind, I created my first three flavors: a Mimosa, a Classic Mule, and a Strawberry Basil Margarita. This way, people who choose not to drink alcohol can still enjoy a beverage that mimics a cocktail, and those who do drink can use this kombucha as a healthy alternative to store bought, sugar filled mixers or also drink on it’s own.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I began drinking kombucha sometime in middle school. I remember seeing it on the shelves of a local grocery store and thought “Ok, this looks different,” and figured I would give it a try. I was immediately hooked, and once I could get my first job, I spent a large portion of my paycheck on kombucha. After a few years, I began brewing my own back in late 2018 / early 2019. I ended up making flavors that I was not able to purchase and it became the ultimate hobby for me. Fast forward, I had graduated from Rochester Institute of Technology with my B.S. in Economics and I found it difficult to find a job, so I figured why not create my own? All within ten minutes, I filed for my LLC in New York State with a name that stuck: Kombucharista. It took about 14 months to get all the licenses and green lights to sell, but my product was immediately received by the public.
I am most proud of the grit I had to continue, which I would not have had without constant support from my family, friends, and co-workers. Three of the four events I have vended have completely sold out, my Kombucharista instagram has reached 3.5 thousand accounts in the past month, and I have four events lined up in the next few weeks.

The problem I solve, specifically for those who are sober, is consuming a drink that has the essence of a cocktail. My hope is that more bars and restaurants create N/A options that are more exciting, instead of being content with soda water and simple syrups for someone who does not drink.

Can you talk to us about how your funded your business?

Funding my business is always on my mind. I am fortunate to have had a full time bartending and managing position at a nearby restaurant up until last summer (now I am part time); without it, I would not have had any savings to fall back on or to continue purchasing capital for Kombucharista. On top of that, I have had a few years of dog walking / dog sitting that I can fall back on for an added cushion. Other side hustles include upcycling and selling clothing, Door Dashing, etc. You name it, I have probably done it. It can be incredibly difficult working close to 70 or 80 hours a week, running from one job to another, but at some point you do have to put your head down, trust your gut, and have a clear goal about where you want to be in a few years time.

We’d really appreciate if you could talk to us about how you figured out the manufacturing process.

I personally have learned to manufacture my own product. At first, I wanted to partner with a co-packing company but my business is still producing in relatively small batches, so everything is done by me start to finish. Bottling kombucha isn’t the trickiest thing; when I brewed as a hobby, I would flavor / bottle anyways, so really all I needed were a few tweaks, specific, thought out recipes, and the labels. The hoop I had to jump through was that kombucha cannot be manufactured in someone’s home, so I had to browse around Rochester NY for a kitchen space that would pass inspection. Thankfully, I came across The Commissary, a shared kitchen for food and beverage entrepreneurs. I can rent out storage as well, so this is really what solidified Kombucharista as a company, as I actually had a legal address to produce. I am grateful that I reside in an area where the Cornell Food Venture is within an hour drive, so I would bring my kombucha to be tested for it’s pH, alcohol percentage, and to have my recipes solidified by those that work there. Through this process, I found it is quite easy for kombucha to go over the %0.5 alcohol limit, so they recommended I filter through a micron bag. That was the major change, but I would never want someone to consume my product thinking it had one level of naturally occurring alcohol than what it actually contained. This filtration process helps with that and pretty much makes sure the kombucha does not go above that legal limit.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.kombucharista.com/
• Instagram: @kombucharista_
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kombucharista/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brenna-multala-8a0426116/

Image Credits
Strawberry Basil Margarita Ingredient Photo – instagram: @mollyrchrdsn (Full name: Molly Richardson) Mimosa Ingredient Photo – instagram: @mollyrchrdsn (Full name: Molly Richardson) Photos that show labels – instagram: @danielclark.co (Branding courtesy of Daniel Clark) Professional Product Images – instagram: @tgwstudio (Company name: TGW Studio (based out of Rochester, NY))