All kombucha starts with a mother. This is an ode to ours. Inge grew up in post-war Germany and moved to Detroit at the age of 16, where she lived with civil rights activist and feminist Sophia Ellis. Inspired by Sophia, Inge pursued a career in medicine and later joined Doctors Without Borders. The ST1 tank is named after her. This is where the very essence of our kombucha takes shape — the starter culture. 

Our kombucha starter is created through a two-phase process, where we ferment our custom-made liquid SCOBY culture. As with our kombucha base, the ingredients are organic green tea, lemon verbena, and cane sugar. The starter culture is essentially a more concentrated version of our kombucha that initiates the fermentation process. It forms the foundation of the acid profile and contains a high concentration of beneficial bacteria and yeast cultures.

The yeast begins converting sugar into alcohol, and to cater this transformation, the first phase takes place in a closed, temperature-controlled fermentation tank set to 34°C. This system allows us to maintain a stable environment, including the controlled introduction of oxygen when needed. Thermal regulation can be adjusted through the steel tank’s jacket, allowing us to control a constant and precise temperature inside the tank.

In the second phase of fermentation, the temperature is lowered to 23°C and sterile aeration is added to support the conversion of alcohol into organic acids. In our kombucha, this phase results in high levels of gluconic acid and tartaric acid, which contribute to a smooth, citrus-like acidity. The entire process takes two to three weeks. The result is a strong, rich starter culture filled with live yeast and bacteria to begin fermenting the kombucha base.

Lotte Holm is a professor of Sociology of Food at the University of Copenhagen and conducts extensive interdisciplinary research into the social and cultural dimensions of food and eating. Our fermentation tank is named after her. In the custom stainless-steel Lotte tank, sweetened tea and starter culture are combined. At a steady 24°, the kombucha ferments for a week to form the kombucha base.

The entire process is closely monitored and measured in our in-house lab. Each batch is analysed to ensure a consistent fermentation development and flavour profile that meets our uncompromising standards. All of our tanks are equipped with specially designed mesh covers to support hygiene and maintain optimal fermentation conditions. The result is a balanced, signature kombucha, ready to be developed into a range of flavour directions inside the pressure tanks.

Swedish environmental activist Greta Thunberg continues to challenge world leaders with her uncompromising voice on the urgency of climate action, inspiring not only her own generation, but pushing older generations to confront the facts. Our pressure tank is named after her. Once fermentation is complete, the kombucha base is transferred into the Greta pressure tank. Here, the kombucha is centrifuged and passed through a large filter to reduce larger particles in the beverage.

The goal of this two-step system is to preserve the live microorganisms, which allows beneficial bacteria and smaller yeast particles to remain active for a final living kombucha. The stainless steel pressure tank includes thermal regulation, keeping the kombucha chilled at 3°C to prevent further fermentation while infusing flavour. Our signature flavours, organic sea buckthorn juice, sour cherry juice and lion's mane with blue peaflowers, and limited editions, are all infused under pressure using a HopGun, a technique also used in beer brewing. This method allows for highly efficient flavour extraction due to the added pressure.

To prevent alcohol development and ensure a consistent level of carbonation across each batch, CO₂ is gently dissolved into the kombucha during the final stage of brewing. The kombucha is then bottled and packaged. Each bottle is rinsed, filled, labelled, and capped in-house on our own bottling line.