Kombucha + Charity = KombuchAID

KombuchAID makes fermented, bottled tea that is not only tasty, but also great for your guts AND your conscience. Kombucha is all the rage in health circles at the moment for its digestive system boosting probiotic effect. Like kimchi, it is the product of fermentation and timely bottling that creates this elixir of good bacteria.

A fellow yoga lover and entrepreneur, Geneva founded KombuchAID as a way to support refugees on the Thailand-Burma border. 10% of proceeds from the tea and workshops go towards this project.

In her own words, Geneva Pritchard explains.

How and when I founded KombuchAID

My husband and I moved to Melbourne two years ago from New Zealand with our life belongings consisting of two bicycles and two boxes.  He was recruited to a really great position here, and began working immediately upon arrival.  I sought out to create a like-minded community by finding the closest yoga studio (Power Living South Melbourne)and signing up for the 40-day yoga challenge.  During that time I began brewing my own kombucha as a way to kick-start my health and wellness lifestyle in my new setting.  Each Monday at the 40-day challenge meditation meet up I brought my booch, and my fellow yogis started asking about it, wanting to try it, then wanting to buy it.  Over the course of a couple months I quadrupled production and went from bottling in used Grolsch beer bottles to formalising a proper business and launching KombuchAID.  It was a beautifully organic process of business building. 

My background is deeply routed in development and humanitarian work.  I have a masters degree in public health, and have spent the majority of the last ten years working with health and education projects among refugee populations on the Thailand-Burma border, spending two and a half years living amidst very remote communities.  When I started KombuchAID, I knew there had to be a giving component woven into the fabric of the business.  It was my aim to create a product that made people feel good physically, produced from a business model that made consumers feel good about purchasing.  Thus KombuchAID was born, a fermented probiotic tea with the ability to promote optimal health, using a business model that makes all decisions based on core ethics and integrity.   Going back to my roots and passion, we donate 10% of proceeds to refugee populations on the Thailand-Burma border.  

Where is it available?

We are available at about 20 stores and yoga studios throughout Melbourne.  A couple of my favourite places to buy KombuchAID are at Smith and Deli in Fitzroy, at CERES Market in East Brunswick or CERES Fair Food boxes, and of course at my home studio where it all began, Power Living South Melbourne.  For a complete list of retailers check out our website www.kombuchaid.com.

What is kombucha?Kombucha is a fermented tea with a rich anecdotal history that claims it detoxifies the body and energizes the mind. Ancient Chinese tradition has revered kombucha as the “immortal elixir” due to its role in aiding digestion, joint health and detoxification.  
Kombucha is packed full of vitamins, enzymes and acids including: B1 Thiamine, B2 Riboflavin, B3 Niacin, B6 Pyridoxine, B9 Folic Acid, B12 Cobalmin, Bromelain, Papain, Glucuronic Acid, Hyaluronic Acid, Lactic Acid, Malic Acid, Chondroitin sulfate, Tannic Acid, Usnic Acid

Upcoming Workshops

An exciting element of KombuchAID are the home-brew workshops.  I absolutely love teaching these workshops.  It is a great space to educate people on the benefits of probiotics and how adding something like kombucha to an already healthy diet can create efficiencies in the body leading to optimal health.  Two stats I love to work with are that 80% of your immune system is in your digestive system, and 90% of serotonin is produced in your digestive system.  Wow!  Kombucha promotes a strong, well-balanced gut that leads to so many health benefits, both physical and mental.  The workshop includes a home-brew kit that enables each student to leave and get a brew going right away.

We have two upcoming workshops:at Bikram Yoga Yarraville, and at the Henley Club.  To stay up to date with available workshops, keep an eye on the Events page