It’s Alive Kombucha is located on the far north coast of California in the remote college town of Arcata. For the past 11 years, the family-owned business has supplied regular and hard kombucha to the region. They now distribute from the northern counties as far south as the San Francisco Bay Area.

The journey started in 1992 when owner Jeri started home-brewing kombucha in Big Sur, where she lived at that time. Her husband Keil was a musician, and they felt the need to live a more balanced life centered around the Arcata community. They are helped by daughters Vivian, Kiana, and Sadie.

In 2012, they opened the first kombucha bar in Northern California in their production facility. This became a focus for the community where kombucha and living foods were available, including hard kombucha, kimchi, jun, beet kvass, water kefir, chai, sauerkraut, pickles, bone broth, and apple cider vinegar shots. They were at the forefront of educating people about kombucha, with seven flavors on offer. Their bar closed during COVID, but they made safe pickup available on the porch. Distribution of draft kombucha has now switched to commercial bars and restaurants in the area. It’s Alive Kombucha is now available in Whole Foods markets across Northern California, as well as at the Berkley Bowl and in dozens of stores and cafes.

Jeri experienced some initial push-back from bars that carry alcohol, but their reputation has grown and more owners see the value in offering patrons an alternative to booze.

It’s Alive Kombucha on tap and in the chiller at the Arcata North Coast Co-Op

They offer Pacific Hop, Lemon, Apple, and Golden Lion’s Mane. They use Yerba Mate as the tea base for all their kombucha, appreciating the alkalinity of between six and seven pH which has the potential to counteract the acidity of the stomach, which in turn helps prevent digestive issues. The glass bottles have a twist-off metal cap in preference to plastic as a more environmentally favorable alternative.

In April, It’s Alive Kombucha won Best Barrel Aged Specialty Brew for their Redwood Roots hard kombucha and had a runner-up with their Pomegranate-Rose for best overall specialty brew at the Battle of the Brews in Santa Rosa: a craft beer contest!

Check out the podcast to listen to the story of It’s Alive Kombucha in Jeri’s own words.

The post Profile: It’s Alive Kombucha, Arcata, California appeared first on 'Booch News.