BREW IT UP! THE SPARK KOMBUCHA NO GUTS, NO GLORY STORY - PART 2
On the Last Blog you met Ellen We, the mastermind behind Spark Kombucha. Since 2015 she’s been slinging her uniquely dry (not so sweet) kombucha brew all around the Sea to Sky.
At first, her number one goal was just to introduce more people to kombucha - most people she met year one at the farmer’s markets didn’t know what it was and definitely couldn’t pronounce it! Ellen was on a mission to change that.
What the heck is kom-boo-cha anyways?
Kombucha is a fermented drink made with water, tea, sugar, and a SCOBY (symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast). The SCOBY activates or starts the fermentation process, similar to what happens with a sourdough starter. Once it’s gone through it’s fermentation process, you end up with a fizzy, tart, slightly sour functional beverage.
Ellen has stretched out Spark’s fermentation process to a minimum of three weeks and follows that with a week of flavour infusion. Adding an extra week or two to the fermentation process creates Spark’s unique dry taste and reduces the sugar content. If you like a drink like cranberry and soda, then chances are you’ll like Spark Kombucha.
Kombucha is a great alternative to pop and other sugary beverages. Not only because it has way less sugar, but because of all the gut loving, probiotics, acids, and enzymes the SCOBY produces during the fermentation process. In general, kombucha is good for your guts, digestion, and detoxifying.
What sets Spark Kombucha Apart?
Spark Kombucha was the first kombucha company in the Sea to Sky Corridor. Before Ellen started the process to get approved, the local health authority didn’t have an approved food safety plan for any kombucha producer in the area yet. So Ellen’s plan was first sent to the BC Centre for Disease Control, then south of the border to US Center for Disease Control, and then eventually to a fermentation specialist in Utah. Finally, she got the news she’d been waiting for - Spark Kombucha was an approved producer! Ellen not only had her ticket to brew, but it also broke down barriers for other producers.
It’s that commitment to her product and the industry that sets Ellen and Spark Kombucha apart. But Ellen’s also created a unique, dry kombucha brew that she likes to call “an easy, everyday drinking kombucha”. Ellen’s time slinging kombucha at farmer’s markets helped her to perfect her flavour and style. She was watching for the “kombucha face” when people tried Spark. You know the face - your eyes squint, your mouth goes into an “O”, and your head kinda goes back a bit. It’s the face you get when you taste something for the first time and it’s too robust, too sour, too strong, or a little “too healthy.”
From her customers' reactions, Ellen refined her brew to create a kombucha that was dry, not too sweet, and not overly flavoured. She felt like she was tricking people into drinking kombucha by adding just enough of a light flavour infusion that complimented the natural tartness of kombucha.
Looking for the most sustainable way to get kombucha to the masses, Spark Kombucha was originally available via growler refills or served on tap as a commitment to producing as little waste as possible. But, customers kept requesting a bottled product and though Ellen resisted at first, in 2019 Spark Kombucha stubby bottles were on the shelves of local grocery stores and cafes.
When Ellen made the transition from brewing kegs of kombucha for on tap customers, to brewing, bottling, labeling, and boxing individual bottles of kombucha, she still retained Spark’s commitment to producing a handcrafted product. Everything is done by hand - punching caps on bottles, using labelers, and hand filling all the bottles!
Though the Spark team has grown a little, Ellen still has her hands in the full production process. She feels very connected to working with her hands and it reminds her of times spent with her granny, making dumplings for 3 days in a row. “I think there’s something to be said about connecting with your food and the people that are in your life,” says Ellen, “and making kombucha creates that in your home.”
With so many of us spending more time at home and with those closest to us, Ellen saw an opportunity to get kombucha into even more bellies.