Last month, across the country, kombucha brands such as the popular GT Kombucha and High Country Kombucha were pulled from the shelves of Whole Foods, health food stores, and local co-ops when it was discovered the drink could contain alcohol content above the legal 0.5% limit.
The origin of this massive upheaval? Portland’s own Maine Kombucha Company. Maine Kombucha Company’s beverage “The Booch” has been gaining popularity across Portland for close to a year now, but the company has struggled to get licensed from the State. After forcing the issue, regulators in Maine tested all available brands and discovered the alcohol violations.
“Fermented beverages are tremendously healthy,” Chris Hallweaver, one of the founders of Maine Kombucha explained in a press release Thursday. “Look, the reality is that fermentation creates a by-product of alcohol. How other companies got licensed is unclear. Maine Kombucha Company will offer authentic, unadulterated, full-strength Booch. We don’t want to pasteurize; we want to retain the full benefits of the drink.” Hallweaver went on to add “We will make our kombucha the traditional way – the way we always have and “The Booch” will have a low-alcohol content, above the limit, but still very low, perhaps one-third the alcohol of an average beer”.
Maine Kombucha Company was started by a father-daughter team, Chris and Taryn Hallweaver, and a fellow brewer Reid Emmerich. The company fits closely into Portland’s rich history of microbreweries, and taps into the movement of the buy-local and the slow and functional food movements. The Booch is flavored with local Maine organic cranberries, rhubarb, and elderberry, and flavors change seasonally.
“Small local craft-brewers like us can offer seasonal varieties of exceptional quality. We love talking to people about what flavors to experiment with, what farmers to buy fruit from, and where to offer The Booch. We are very excited to announce the first low-alcohol kombucha.”
Maine Kombucha Company plans on moving forward with an alcohol license and selling The Booch on tap and by the bottle with plans of being on the market in October 2010.
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Contact: Chris Hallweaver, co-founder of Maine Kombucha Company
207 329 5048
chris@mainekombucha.com
For additional background:
http://www.mnn.com/earth-matters/wilderness-resources/blogs/no-kombucha-in-the-stores-heres-why
http://www.portlanddailysun.me/cgi/story2.pl?storyid=20100706056301000691
http://www.bevnet.com/news/2010/6-22-2010-kombucha_honest_GT_Hain
http://www.ttb.gov/pdf/kombucha.pdf
http://www.mainekombucha.com/
