By Daniel Wirtheim, Features Editor

Published in print Feb. 11, 2015

Kombucha has become a staple of Co-Ops and farmers markets, but it’s not cheap. Julie Welch was spending $20 a week on kombucha alone, and it wasn’t always the best stuff. And so her business, Small Batch Kombucha, was born out of necessity as much as it was passion.

Kombucha is a tea made with fermented bacteria and yeast. It looks gross as a raw product, but it has a smooth taste. Still, most people drink kombucha for the health benefits. As a living culture, kombucha provides a healthy amount of probiotics, as well as antioxidants. 

“There’s a lot of bacteria already living the body, and it’s not a bad thing,” said Welch. “I tend to think of it like yogurt, but for people who don’t do dairy, or don’t like yogurt, it’s a good alternative. I have a lot of people who buy it for that reason.”

Good kombucha should have a slightly effervescent body, with just the right amount of acidic kick. Welch explained that, although they may be flavorful, a lot of the commercially produced kombucha can only be sipped, because of high levels of acidity from a forced fermentation process.

Large Kombucha operations might make a batch of tea in days, but proper kombucha needs at least a week to ferment. Essentially, the commercial product lacks the touch of a loving craftswoman. Welch was raised on a farm in Indiana and developed a “can do” attitude and a passion for all things “farm-to-table,” so it wasn’t long before she was brewing her own kombucha.

She rented a space with a certified kitchen, got a symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast (SCOBY), and spent days playing mad scientist in her kitchen.

The project started out with a few botched attempts, which she poured into her compost, because she’s frugal with her ingredients. Not to mention that there’s nothing in the recipe that would harm her 1,800 square-foot garden, which often provides ingredients for her seasonal recipes.

There’s cucumber and basil in the summer, and blueberry-pomegranate in the winter. She works with the ingredients at her disposal. She plans to use the cherry tree in her yard for next summer’s batch.

“We had fruit orchards at my disposal growing up,” said Welch. “My brothers and I could run around the woods all day and not be hungry.”

The flavors of Small Batch Kombucha aren’t the only thing done with a child-like sense of wonder; Welch rotates the labels each week between the artwork of her two kids and her own photography.

For Welch, a good bottle of kombucha is never just about the flavor, or the health benefits. It’s about encouraging better nutrition and getting closer to the farmers in her community. She plans on distributing to three different farmers markets by the spring, and increasing her production. Welch has trouble keeping up with the current demand.

She’s facing a dilemma that most creative independent business owners face. Her product has charm; it’s untainted by the demands of corporate entities. Yet at the same time, Welch needs to increase production. She is trying to save up for her own little piece of land, not too far from town.

She plans to work hard during the day, and enjoy the fruits of her labor in the evening.

“After I’ve finished in the garden at night, and I don’t want to drink a whole glass of wine, I’ll mix it with a bottle of kombucha.”