We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Chris Boyle a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Chris, thanks for joining us today. How did you come up with the idea for your business?

For a couple years I have been wanting to become an entrepreneur and start my own business. I had several ideas I explored but none of them were something I could really get behind and see myself doing happily for the rest of my life. At this point in my life I was deep in my health and fitness journey and one of the changes I had made was to swap out diet soda with kombucha. I didn’t have any ailments I was looking to cure, but my wife convinced me it was a good idea and I really enjoyed the complexity of the beverage. A couple years go by and a fellow culinary friend inspired me to start making my own kombucha after I introduced him to the product. Brewing kombucha in the basement began and my kids loved to help. I saw this as a real opportunity to show my kids how to start a business and a chance to scratch my entrepreneurial itch. I quickly made too much product for our household to consume so I started giving out bottles to neighbors and friends to get feedback. The feedback was generally good and I decided to widen my feedback circle by selling at a farmers market. The day of the market it was freezing and half the vendors didn’t show. We ended up almost selling out and people loved the product and I loved sharing what I had created with my community.
From that point on I made it my mission to try and get Daily Culture into as many local places across the city to give people a healthier non-alcoholic beverage option.

Chris, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I have never started a company or built a brand before. My first career was in culinary arts and my current career is in software. In my free time I love to listen to motivational and entrepreneur content. When I started to build Daily Culture I wanted to lean on my skills and passion to build the business. I have drank kombucha for about 8 years and knew what it tastes like for the most part. I decided I would try and make my kombucha a little different and more drinkable. Full flavored so that everyone could enjoy it and invest in their health at the some time. Everything I have learned thus far has been through research and asking other kombucha companies and brewers. I have been lucky to have a mentor that runs a kombucha company on the west coast. She has been instrumental in keeping me going when things have been challenging. Kombucha is a product that is not served at a lot of places throughout the city. I have been striving to break down those barriers and make kombucha a product that you can find at your favorite place to grab something to eat. Creating a product that resonates with a large majority of the community has been key in the journey.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

When I first started the kombucha business I would only sell in glass bottles. The cost of the glass for the amount I was ordering was pretty expensive. I was able to get the cost down some by ordering a pallet but there were still some issues selling bottles. I found that some places were not able to carry my product because the profit margins they would have selling the glass bottles was not enough for them. I knew that canning was the pivot I needed to make. Cans were less expensive, infinitely recyclable, and a smaller portion size. Three factors that I felt would help propel the company. After doing some research I found a company that had a smaller minimum order and digitally printed the cans so I wouldn’t have to shrink wrap or label the cans (both of which need to be thrown away before recycling the can). I ordered cans for four different flavors and started pitching the cans to prospective retail partners. The price point and the look and feel of the cans were an instant hit. Now my wholesale sales are about 80% cans and the amount of locations selling our kombucha has grown from 4 with bottles to 25 with cans and 5 with bottles.

How did you build your audience on social media?

Since the beginning I have wanted to leverage social media to share the Daily Culture journey. From the highs, lows, behind the scenes, and the progress along the way. I try to be transparent and honest so that my followers can be part of the growth. You can go back to my first posts where I was brewing in my basement still! I keep those around because I want others to know the full story. Social media is a great tool for story telling and connecting with customers. Each post I always try to make sure I am delivering value to my followers. I don’t worry about how many people follow me because if you deliver quality content people will follow you for the right reasons. Posting consistently (at least weekly for me) has been a goal so that people stay engaged with what is going on. Being a content creator is a large part of running a company and I try my best to put out good content. To do that I take notes from other content creators, sharpen my new skills, and leverage new technology. At the end of the day the number of followers I have on social media is not a direct reflection of the success of the company. It is just an outlet to stay connected with our community.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.dailyculturekombucha.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/daily.culture.kombucha/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DailyCultureKombucha/