Kombucha: A Living Health Drink
Kombucha is a fermented, lightly sweetened black or green tea drink majorly used as a functional beverage due to its exceptional health benefits. Kombucha was initially home brewed, however, in the 1990’s kombucha was made commercially available in local health stores and supermarkets.
Made from sweetened tea that has been fermented by a symbiotic colony of bacteria and yeast (a SCOBY, also known as ‘’mother’’ because of its ability to reproduce and often called as ‘’mushroom tea’’). The processing of kombucha is easy, simple, and it contains essential ingredients such as hot water, sugar, tea, and SCOBY.
Starter kits for kombucha home brewers are also widely available in the market. It mainly consists of SCOBY, a jar, and tea bags and a cloth. Kombucha contains a probiotic that promotes intestinal tract health and enhances immune function. Recently kombucha is used in the manufacture of supplements such as capsules.
Most of the companies engaged in the production of kombucha started as home brewers and later commercialized their offerings by partnering with distributors such as Whole Food Market, Walmart, etc. Women entrepreneurs established many of the companies such as Townshend's Tea Company, NessAlla Kombucha, and Humm Kombucha LLC.
Kombucha is available in its original flavor and also in added flavors. Most kombucha brewers offer a range of flavors along with original raw kombucha. Increasing investment is made to invent new exotic flavors catering to regional taste and preference. Kombucha is full of vitamins and antioxidants; it is rich in probiotics if its raw and after the fermentation process, it contains B vitamins and antioxidants including some alcohol.
Buchi Kombucha uses a combination of ingredients such as organic apple juice, freshly pressed organic ginger, beet juice, cayenne, Gaia Herbs Echinacea Supreme (Purpurea and Angustifolia), pineapple juice, lime juice, peppermint leaves, natural color from edible flowers, and spices for the manufacture of their products. It is so simple and economical to make it at home.
The largest market is in North America with a healthy growth rate and is followed by Europe and then Asia Pacific which is the fastest growing market of functional drinks. Demand from Chinese and Japanese Market is surging the growth of this market.
The growing trend of consuming natural and organic food ingredients has generated new growth opportunities for players operating in this industry. The increasing use of natural extracts and flavors in kombucha beverages is expected to propel the market demand. Widening the application areas of kombucha in other segments of food and beverage products such as breakfast meals, ice cream toppings, candies, etc. is projected to generate future market opportunities.
In-depth report on global kombucha market by Grand View Research:
https://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/kombucha-market