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14: Julie Davidson, Head Brewer of Komadre Kombucha
87 Plays3 years ago
Brought to you by Grit City Women - A female forward organization that nurtures a creative approach to empowering female entrepreneurs, small business owners, and leaders in Tacoma. Join host Krystle Edwards and Head Brewer of Komadre Kombucha, Julie Davidson.
1. From DIY kombucha to tap room 2. Vision behind Komadre Kombucha 3. Benefits of kombucha libations Learn more about Julie:
1. From DIY kombucha to tap room 2. Vision behind Komadre Kombucha 3. Benefits of kombucha libations Learn more about Julie:
- Website : komadrekombucha.com
- Insta : @komadrekombucha
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Transcript
Podcast Introduction and Sponsors
00:00:02
Speaker
Welcome to Gritty is the New Pretty, a podcast by Gritt City Women. Gritt City Women is empowered by Melissa Newell, Edward Jones Financial Advisor, and Columbia Bank.
Julie's Kombucha Journey
00:00:14
Speaker
On episode 14 of Gritty is the New Pretty, we are happy to feature Julie Davidson, head brewer and owner of Kumadre Kombucha.
00:00:23
Speaker
Looking for ways to support Grit City Women and keep these podcasts going? Visit our online store at gritcitywomen.com. Welcome, Julie. Thank you. Why don't you start off with telling us a bit about yourself?
00:00:43
Speaker
Sure thing. My name is Julie Davidson and I'm the owner operator of Comadre Kombucha, Tacoma's only local kombucha. We're getting set to open our flagship retail location, which is a dedicated kombucha taproom in just over a week.
00:01:01
Speaker
And we also offer door delivery of our kombucha tea beverages. We are at the Tacoma Farmers Market Broadway location as well as all of the Broadway, I'm sorry, all of the Tacoma Fresh Express Market locations. And we participate in pop-ups and all kinds of events as invited. So why kombucha?
00:01:27
Speaker
I really, really wanted to love kombucha. And truthfully, when I tasted it about 15 years ago, I hated it.
From Home Brewing to Business
00:01:37
Speaker
It tasted like nasty juice that had been left outside on a summer day. And yet I knew that if I was going to get some kind of control over my digestive health problems, I needed to turn to whole food and fermented food in particular.
00:01:57
Speaker
I read up on it exhaustively. I'm really curious that way. And I decided I wanted to try to go the whole food route versus pharmaceuticals. So long story short, I tried a lot of kombucha and I didn't like it. So I thought, all right, I'm a DIY gal. I'm going to do it myself. And I started brewing my own kombucha at home in my closet downstairs.
00:02:25
Speaker
And that gave me this opportunity to be the cook that I've always been. I grew up cooking and experimenting in the kitchen, as well as tapping into this mad scientist personality that I have. I love tinkering with recipes. I love formulating new flavor combinations. I love
00:02:47
Speaker
tapping into my Latina background and using the fruits and flavorings that I grew up tasting when, you know, visiting with relatives, whether it was South Florida or Panama, I just wanted to make something that I could tolerate and I ended up making something that I really love to drink. And as I started sharing it with friends and family and colleagues,
00:03:15
Speaker
They also, it was like coming out of the closet moment for so many people. They're like, Julie, we love you. We said yes to this kombucha cause we love you, but we hate kombucha. And story after story after story of I love this stuff. You need to start charging me for it. Where else can I find it? I mean, they're thinking because I got a sticker made that I'm already big time. I'm like, yo, no, I'm still doing it out of my house. Um,
00:03:44
Speaker
Also, everybody was talking to me about their indigestion and their constipation and all of that. So things got real really quickly. And I decided to take that proof of concept and tap into a dream that I've had since I was a
Health Benefits of Kombucha
00:04:05
Speaker
little girl. And that was, I want to have a shop.
00:04:08
Speaker
always wanted to have a store where I could be rooted and sell cool things that everybody would want to buy. So here I am, you know, almost six months into the lease and going through all those ups and downs to open the taproom. When we talk about the health benefits, like the digestive health benefits, what can the kombucha that you brew do for people?
00:04:37
Speaker
Yes, that's a great question. And for folks who aren't familiar with kombucha, it is a fermented tea beverage and similar to yogurt or kefir water or sauerkraut or pickles even. It's got all of these prebiotic and probiotic cultures in it that are supported by
00:05:04
Speaker
this funny little floaty thing called a scoby. And that's just an abbreviation for a symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast. And you might have seen scobies on Pinterest because a lot of home brewers love to stack them up and save them in scoby hotels. That's really just backup if your batch goes bad and you need to restart your brew.
00:05:31
Speaker
But it gives the tea the opportunity to colonize with all of this healthy bacteria that our gut needs and that our bodies need. And in exchange, the scoby eats the tannins and the sugar in the tea, and that makes their happy synergy.
00:05:52
Speaker
and you get this amazing sparkly beverage that you can then throw on a bunch of fruit, herbs, floral essences, whatever floats your boat. And then that supports a second fermentation to add even more good stuff as well as these incredible flavors. How often would somebody who's having some digestive problems drink kombucha?
00:06:19
Speaker
I always, always tell people to start slowly because you need to see how your body is going to adjust to it. And oftentimes Kombucha can kickstart a cleanse. So it ain't pretty.
00:06:34
Speaker
And so I ask people to start with a shot glass, you know, like literally have a shot of kombucha, have it with food, and then just hang out. Keep yourself hydrated. Keep yourself close to a toilet because it can provoke a cleanse. And that's that your body is literally recolonizing your gut with the flora that's missing.
00:07:03
Speaker
with the healthy bacteria that's missing, perhaps. So from your shot glass, as you build up your tolerance, you can move up. And I know brewers who drink kombucha all day long. For me, I feel like two eight ounce servings is my healthy max. And that seems to sort of be the median. For kids, I say an eight ounce serving a day tops.
00:07:31
Speaker
because you don't want to create too much acidity in your system. That can lead to a whole host of other health concerns. That said, one of the hallmarks of Comadre Kombucha is
00:07:45
Speaker
It is far less acidic than a lot of other brands. And I do that on purpose because I like to drink more of it, first and foremost.
Location and Community Connection
00:07:55
Speaker
And because I like to remember that there's actually tea in it. So when you taste Comadre, you're going to taste tea. You're going to taste fresh fruit flavors. That's because we don't allow it to get so far into fermentation that it's turning into a vinegar shrub or something.
00:08:17
Speaker
The concept of the taproom, how did that come about? I was scoping out real estate, both in my hometown Puyallup, as well as Sumner and some of the surrounding areas. And then I thought, wait a second, I got to cast a wider net because I know in terms of communities that are ready for this concept, Kombucha has a very happy home and has enjoyed a happy home in
00:08:47
Speaker
markets and, you know, natural grocery stores in Tacoma for years. So when I started looking for a commercial lease, lo and behold, I believe it was the first place I actually found online was the home of Ice Cream Social on 6th Avenue.
00:09:09
Speaker
a beloved brand for the Pacific Northwest. And I just thought, whoa, this is a sign. I've followed Ice Cream Social for years, been on family gatherings there, a regrettable date night there. That's another podcast.
00:09:28
Speaker
Anyway, I just thought it was a perfect place to put a kombucha taproom. And because it's in this eclectic 6th Avenue business district, I knew it from my college days. I graduated from Puget Sound just a couple blocks away. And I knew it was just renowned as a bar crawl, bar hop area. And so we didn't necessarily need another bar serving liquor.
00:09:57
Speaker
But I felt like having a kombucha bar concept that gives you that taproom feel, that gives you a place to hang out with people of all ages, whether they're your family, whether it's a babe in arms, whether it's high school and college kids, that everyone would feel welcome in that space and everyone could opt to make
00:10:20
Speaker
healthier choice whether they're preparing for a night of bar hopping or recovering from one or Just making other choices. Maybe they're sober. Maybe they're sober curious. Maybe they're trying it out for a week to dry out All are welcome in this space and and that concept really began to take root for me as I looked into funding opportunities and
00:10:48
Speaker
it got a lot of traction. People were excited to see it and embraced the idea wholeheartedly. When someone walks in, do they have the opportunity to sample the different kombucha on tap? Yes. So we'll have at least six different kombucha flavors on tap and folks will have an opportunity to do a flight. They wish.
00:11:15
Speaker
They can also just sample one or two. And of course, six months into a lease, I've definitely been spending down all of the funds that I've amassed and I'm ready to make a little doe rey me and make this a viable, sustainable spot in Tacoma. And yeah, I'm excited about the taproom concept for several reasons.
00:11:40
Speaker
Uh, the other unique part about Comadre is, you know, we're a nano brewery. We're very, very small. We actually share brewery space with another kombucha brewer. And that means that the taproom space really is dedicated to serving kombucha, serving mocktails, and allowing people to customize their kombucha experience with a build-a-booch option where you can select a growler.
00:12:09
Speaker
We'll
Challenges and Opportunities During COVID-19
00:12:10
Speaker
fill it with our trademark blend of tea and then you decide how you want to flavor it. Do you like mint? Awesome. We got that. Do you like lime? Awesome. We got that. Do you like mango and raspberry? We got that too. You know, it's the sky's the limit. I'm so excited. It's exciting to me too.
00:12:33
Speaker
Yeah. I'm like, Oh, I want to try some now. I think is also really smart about the idea of a taproom is I like Kombucha. You know, I don't have a specific brand. I like to try all the different brands, but when I walk into the store and I'm looking at them, they are kind of pricey.
00:12:54
Speaker
You know, it's not super cheap and it's like if you end up not liking it, you're like, yeah, I'm not really sure if I want to keep drinking it. And I think being able to go in and taste it, I don't have a problem at all paying for something where I know it's delicious. And especially if I, you know, have that whole immersion experience of being in the taproom, like how cool is that? So I think it just connects more with people and
00:13:20
Speaker
They're not taking as much risk by trying it by just grabbing a random model off the grocery store shelf and hoping it's one that sits well with them. Yeah, you're so right.
00:13:31
Speaker
I think one of the challenges that we're encountering, of course, is this rollback to phase two in our COVID phase. For instance, when we're at pop-ups and farmer's markets, we are not permitted to do any sampling. And so people have to trust us. They have to trust that what we're sharing with them, the education about our product, and what we say goes in that bottle
00:14:01
Speaker
is going to translate into something delicious that they wanna shell out $6 for. And in the tap room, we will have the opportunity to do sampling because it's a controlled environment, so to speak. And yet it's going to continue to be both and it's gonna be go on just your gut, right? Knowing us and learning about the brand and some of the try before you buy.
00:14:31
Speaker
And I think that one of the best reasons to kind of keep going, one of the reasons that I continue to have motivation and momentum forward is hearing from people who have picked up a bottle from one of our resellers or at one of our events or a friend has shared it with them.
00:14:53
Speaker
And they say, I had never heard of you or I saw something in the TNT about you, but I'm not really a kombucha drinker. And I tried this and now I have to get my hands on more. Where are you going to be next? Like this demand has been created, right? And to your point, it's not just because we know this product is good for us. It's also, oh my gosh, you're local.
00:15:23
Speaker
BIPOC, you know, you hire a diverse team, you're a woman owned, like checking all these boxes that folks are more and more attuned to. They want their dollars to work powerfully in their local community. And so, you know, Comadre is ready. We're ready to be of service. We're ready to keep educating people. We're ready to walk with them on their journey toward more healthful living.
00:15:55
Speaker
So when is the opening date? I've purposely rolled back from talking about a grand opening because the last time I tried to do that, the universe said, no, we have about two more months of work for you to do on that shop. So we're anticipating a soft opening in the latter half of May. Okay.
00:16:20
Speaker
And the best way people can find out the details, because I'm not going to keep it a secret or anything, is to follow us. Comadre Kombucha is active on Instagram, Facebook, and we are ready to bring kombucha to your doorstep if you're not quite ready to venture out into public spaces.
00:16:45
Speaker
I love that. I'm really excited. I want to come and get some. I'm really excited about it. I love kombucha and I'm excited just to try it. And I like the idea that yours is you can taste the tea. I think that will be really lovely.
Winning the Comcast Rise Grant
00:17:06
Speaker
And so I will be there at some point once you open your doors for sure. Thank you so much.
00:17:15
Speaker
Yeah, absolutely. You mentioned before like people heard about you in the TNT. I see that you've been awarded a couple awards and one of them is the Comcast rise grant for $10,000. What was that award for? So the rise grant is a recognition by this giant telecom company that there are really huge disparities in technology access and ease of use.
00:17:43
Speaker
for communities of color and in particular BIPOC entrepreneurs. And so, you know, although I certainly am proud to be Latina, I know I haven't experienced all of the structural barriers as other, you know, sisters and brothers in my community. And yet as a business owner, I was very quickly overwhelmed and I can't
00:18:06
Speaker
tell you how voracious the competition is out there to really get the ear and win the hearts and minds of customers. And there's a really almost predatory relationship between tech vendors and small businesses. So they all like glom onto you as soon as you establish an LLC in the state.
00:18:31
Speaker
they get access to your data. And I was just getting bombarded with these offers. And none of them sounded very good. So meanwhile, I had been working really hard to get a crowdfunding campaign off the ground. And I was working within the iFund Women
00:18:50
Speaker
platform, which is incredible. They supported me in so many ways. I got some free coaching. There's tons of webinars and self-paced opportunities to learn how to be a successful fundraiser and how to market your brand and how to move through the different
00:19:10
Speaker
different milestones and building your business and so along the way I learned about all these different grant opportunities and I just stop everything I was doing and submit the application they make them really simple but I thought you know it's it's rare like I'll get chosen for those sorts of things whatever whatever and I just put it aside so the day this email from Comcast arrives
00:19:36
Speaker
I think that it's spam because my spam filter even put it in spam. I'll delete that later. I'm so glad that I went back and looked and I'm like, wait a second. Didn't I apply for something from Comcast? And lo and behold, out of like a thousand plus applicants in the state, I was chosen as one of, I think like 30, 35 awardees. So they're hooking us up with free services for a certain period of time.
00:20:05
Speaker
We're gonna be receiving some other technology to help our business grow. And because they are a big media conglomerate, they've also helped me get prepared to be in front of the media outlets that are interested in wellness and in small businesses and telling the story of gritty Tacomaans who are making a unique
Kombucha as a Social Alternative to Alcohol
00:20:34
Speaker
contribution. Congratulations. That's incredible. You beat out many, many people applying for that. And I think part of that is because your concept is so unique. I've never heard of a kombucha taproom. And I also like the idea, you know, you talked about, was it sober curious?
00:20:57
Speaker
people that are experimenting with not drinking. And I really love that because I think alcohol can be your worst enemy if you can't handle it or it's just sometimes it makes you feel crappy. And being a business owner, an entrepreneur,
00:21:17
Speaker
Especially if you're super active. I mean, if I go to dinner, sometimes I'm like, I don't even want to have a drink because it just doesn't make me feel super great in the morning when I wake up. And sometimes I will, but sometimes
00:21:33
Speaker
Yeah. And it's like sometimes I will have a cocktail or I'll have a couple glasses of wine, but there's also times where I'm just like, man, I just want a mocktail. Like I don't want to have any alcohol in my beverage. I just want to feel good and healthy and clear minded. And when you're on the go and you're constantly trying to be creative, you're constantly engaging with people, like that's a lot of energy.
00:21:58
Speaker
and alcohol only really slows you down. And so I think that that's a really cool concept. And I know, I mean, it's definitely not something I embraced until I was doing all of this stuff and being really physically active in college is a different story, but I like it. I like that that conversation is there is like, hey, like there's other options if you don't want to drink.
00:22:23
Speaker
I think that that's a really healthy way to provide other options for people and it's like you don't feel left out because you're still you could have a kombucha like serve it at restaurants so you could order one with your dinner or whatever and you're not feeling like I'm I'm not drinking because I have a problem it's just I'm not drinking because I don't want to drink right and and you're speaking to
00:22:50
Speaker
one of the core values of comadre kombucha and definitely a part of my story as well because you know the more mature i get the more i learn about health the more i embrace healthy you know whole nutrition the more i also have been realizing that alcohol is just not doing me any favors
00:23:13
Speaker
The benefits are outweighed for me by many, many drawbacks. And like you said, I don't like to miss out. I want to be right in there. I want to be having a good time. I want to be connecting with people and going to a bar and going to events and going to pub crawls, even like beloved McMinnamons, you know, they're a Pacific Northwest institution.
00:23:43
Speaker
but my partner and I got passports and I was like, yo, I will literally be on the floor, even if I get like half pints at every place that we are collecting these lovely stamps. And it's that sort of thing. Like I don't want to miss out. And I'm also not a fricking kid who's going to like suck down root beers and apple cider all day. So kombucha,
00:24:10
Speaker
came into my life at precisely the right time. And the elective sobriety movement came into my life at the right time because
00:24:21
Speaker
all of the conversations that we're having about alcohol and our relationship to it. I really want to highlight that because alcohol is not good or bad. It's all about your relationship to it. And if you can be in a healthy relationship with alcohol, rock on, like go on with your bad self. And if you need to rethink your relationship with alcohol, Comadre is here.
Collaborations and Community Engagement
00:24:48
Speaker
We're at your side. We want to be in the party too.
00:24:51
Speaker
And we realize that you now have a lot of other choices when you go to be social with people or when you're unwinding after a long day. And that doesn't have to include reaching for an alcoholic beverage or feeling like, oh man, I have to drink, you know, soda pop. You have healthier opportunities. And, you know, we're one of many, many lovely, you know, Pacific Northwest brands.
00:25:20
Speaker
I also wanted to give a shout out. We've had some simultaneous like creation in the kombucha world because my friends at Seeking Kombucha, Liz and Jeanette opened their taproom in South Lake Union about a month and a half ago. And they are rocking and rolling. They're at 20 farmer's markets a week. I mean, they are getting it done. So I really stand shoulder to shoulder with some sisters who are doing amazing work in the kombucha space.
00:25:50
Speaker
And I'm excited to bring the South Sound their own taproom. Thank you for highlighting people's relationship with alcohol is what's important. And I think so many times it's looked at, oh, alcohol is bad. You shouldn't drink it. And then you're kind of like on this weird thing. It is a part of our culture, right?
00:26:11
Speaker
It is something that we use to celebrate. It is something that some people use to have with dinner, you know, with, you know, palating different foods with different wines. And so I do really appreciate that talking about the relationship that you have. If you have a healthy one, that's great. And just because you don't want to drink at dinner or you don't want to drink when you go out with your friends, that doesn't mean there's something wrong with you. It just means you might have a healthy relationship with alcohol.
00:26:40
Speaker
Yes. And it means that you're making choices that are going to give you that access to energy, creativity, not having trouble waking up, you know, clear headed in the morning. Those are all good things. And I think that
00:26:56
Speaker
you know, instead of feeling penalized and instead of feeling like, oh, man, I'm the nerd in the group, which, hello, that was me even before all of this, right? Before I was legal, I've always been a nerd. But like to go into a venue and say, say I want to have that mouth feel, I want to have my
00:27:17
Speaker
my drink choice match these amazing flavors to your point that we have the opportunity to work with other small businesses and to offer them customized blends because we're not big. We're not like, these are our six flavors. This is all we're ever going to do.
00:27:35
Speaker
If the mood strikes, I'm like, oh man, I feel like making a Mojito-inspired kombucha. In fact, our strawberry Mojito is one of our newest creations. And Beer Star, also on 6ab, decided, well, we want to have a local kombucha on tap. So we're now on tap at Beer Star. And in a few more weeks,
Closing Remarks and Future Plans
00:27:58
Speaker
there will be some restaurants that are offering kombucha inspired concoctions on their drink menus. So, you know, it's all coming along and we want people to feel just as special and celebratory sipping on a kombucha libation as they would if they were having a cocktail. Love it!
00:28:25
Speaker
I'm so excited for you and for Tacoma just to have this awesome idea and to have your vibrant personality and your vision come to life. I'm so stoked for you. Thank you so much for joining us today and best of luck. Keep us updated on when your soft opening is so we can come and have some sippy sips.
00:28:51
Speaker
Muchísimas gracias, Crystal. This has been such a pleasure. And I also have to give a shout out because I stand with so many other women who are living their dream and striking out on their own to make something really unique.
00:29:06
Speaker
And I wanted them to be part of this taproom as well. So when you visit, you're also going to see La Tiendita, the little store. And it's a curated collection of some of the best, most beautiful, unique products by local makers and BIPOC makers, as well as some of my favorite brands like Theo Chocolate. That's our only fair trade organic chocolate. And we use it in our bakes. So there's a lot to love and a lot of reasons to spend some time at the Comadre Kombucha Taproom.
00:29:37
Speaker
Awesome. And if anybody wants to check out what's, is there a website that they can go get a sneak peek at? Yes, you can get a sneak peek and sign up to sample Comadre Kombucha at ComadreKombucha.com and follow us on the socials. We have a lot more up to the minute information there. We'll look forward to seeing you in the tap room at the Broadway Farmers Market and at the Fresh Express Markets. Awesome. Well, thank you so much, Julie.
00:30:06
Speaker
My pleasure. To learn more about Grit City Women, visit gritcitywomen.com or follow us on Instagram at gritcitywomen and we look forward to getting gritty with you.