MAVI’s Pantry is a homegrown artisanal fermented food and beverage brand which makes gut-friendly functional products like kombucha, kimchi, kvas, ginger ale, kanji, and sauerkraut using local, seasonal and organic ingredients. They started with kombucha and it still is their flagship product.

MAVI’s is named after Masahi and her husband Vikram (MA+VI) who started out making kombucha in their home kitchen. They began selling at local farmers’ markets, where they sold out on their first day. Since launching the business in 2017 they have seen steadily increasing demand and now have a team of twelve.

While they were still a young company their appearance on the first season of the Indian version of Shark Tank in 2021 brought them national attention. Though their pitch was rejected by the “sharks” due to concerns over pricing and a belief kombucha was a narrow niche market, it gave them great exposure. Post-show, MAVI’s Pantry expanded aggressively—improving branding, retail shelf presence, listing on platforms like Amazon and taking online orders. The video of the episode (in Hindi) is available online.

From those early days in farmers’ markets they now sell pan-India. Despite being a naturally fermented, unpasteurized product, they have overcome the challenge of the lack of a robust cold chain in the country.

When we started, our idea was only to keep it in modern gourmet retail stores, A-plus stores as they are called. And because the clientele who shop there have refrigeration, it is not a problem. Retail stores, cafes, restaurants, and hotels are now our primary buyers. Yes, cold chain is a problem, but you know necessity is the mother of invention as they say, right?

So we’ve figured out tweaks and hacks to make sure that we can deliver kombucha before it needs to be refrigerated. When you make kombucha it’s naturally carbonated, and there are about two or three days before it needs to be refrigerated and it gets self-carbonated. So we use that time as a hack to transport it anywhere we want. And usually we figured out that in say around 48 to 72 hours, we can deliver it anywhere in India.

Vikram sees three groups of customers interested in kombucha in India.

We did an audience analysis when we were rebranding and we understood there were three different categories. One was the category where people were choosing fermented food because their doctors told them to eat healthy or their nutritionist told them to eat healthy or they figured out that fermented food was the way to go.

The other one is people who are seeking low sugar, natural beverages, etc, in general, because let’s say if you want to have a beer, like you want something to drink in the evening every day and you think, okay, instead of beer, if I can have a kombucha, maybe it’s better because there’s no alcohol involved. So that’s the second category.

The third one is a very sad category, where people are drinking it just because kombucha is in. So I want to be cool and hence I drink kombucha every day.

These are the three major categories. Then there are other people who want to try, who just want to just keep exploring and seeing what works for them, what doesn’t work for them and everything. But eventually they settle down in the first or the third category.

• Beet kvass: tastes like kanji, the savory North-Indian fermented drink made with dark red carrots in winter. However, kanji is wild fermentation done by wild yeast in the air. MAVI’s beet kvass is made with the culture obtained from sauerkraut which has fermented for over 6-8 weeks and hence it is more potent than the traditional kanji.
• Ginger Ale is a a handcrafted, preservative-free, non-alcoholic beverage available in both Original and also Hibiscus flavors.
• Water kefir is a refreshing, bubbly elixir, fermented with organic cane sugar or jaggery, and available in Blue Pea Flower and Watermelon flavors.
• Kimchi is available in Vegan Cabbage and Vegan Radish versions, made without any animal products such as fish sauce found in other kimchis.
• Sauerkraut is available in a range of flavors: Original; Jain-friendly Classic Sauerkraut with aromatic ajwain seeds; Golden Sauerkraut infused with turmeric; and Beetroot-Carrot Kraut.
• Fermented veggies a tangy, probiotic-rich pickle mix fee of vinegar and preservatives.
• Honey-fermented garlic handcrafted in small batches to retain natural enzymes, probiotics, and the unique flavor of wild honey and garlic.

Their tea comes from Korakundah in the Nilgiri mountains of southern India which boasts of being the highest organic tea estate in the world at 8,000 feet above sea level. The estate, founded in the early 1900s, is a pioneer in sustainable and organic tea cultivation, holding Organic, Fair Trade, and Rainforest Alliance certifications, and produces distinctively flavored black and green teas known for their fresh, clean, and floral notes, with the high-altitude environment contributing to a slower growth and more complex flavor development.

MAVI’s Kombucha is brewed in small batches using handpicked local ingredients and fermented naturally for 3–4 weeks, ensuring a perfectly balanced taste and maximum probiotic benefits. The slow fermentation process makes it healthy, flavorful, and suitable for the Indian gut microbiome.

Their flagship product is available in a number of flavors:

• Classic: Green tea based kombucha.
• Ginger & Honey: The goodness of ginger and the healing prowess of honey.
• Apple Spice: Sweet and citrusy apples with a hint of spices.
• Lemon Mint & Basil: The classic combo of lemon & mint with a dash of basil.
• Blueberry & Rose: Rich juicy berries and homemade rose water. Their best selling flavor.
• Apricot & Cinnamon: A fusion of sweet apricots balanced with the spicy notes of cinnamon.
• Jamun: Tangy yet sweet, a royal fruit in a heavenly drink.
• Kokam: A modern twist to the kokum sherbet. The tangy taste of tradition.
• Hops: Aromatic pine, citrus & floral notes of the dried hops
• Pomegranate: Fruity sweet & citrusy flavor of pomegranate.
• Imli (Tamarind): Fun-filled, tangy, sweet, spicy.
• Pineapple: Made with sweet organic pineapple.

They offer workshops to teach people to make kombucha at home. They believe that once people understand the nuances behind kombucha they will become more discriminating.

My idea with doing workshops with our partners at restaurants, cafes, even online is to reach more and more people I can teach to make kombucha at home. And once they understand the nuances behind the kombucha, I hope that they never go and drink a mass-produced, shelf-stable, devoid of any probiotic, kombucha.

Hear Vikram tell the story of MAVI’s Pantry in this interview.

The post Profile: MAVI’s Pantry, Mumbai, India appeared first on 'Booch News.