BOISE, Idaho – Kombucha has been gaining popularity across the US in recent years, although the unique drink is believed to date back to around 200 B.C.
now you will find Idaho Kombucha Look for their specialty beverages in cans and local restaurants and coffee shops in a variety of flavors on store shelves throughout the state.
Husband and wife team Mike and Terry Landa run the operation. Mike handles the logistics of the scientific brewing process, while Terry does the tasting.
“It’s very complicated, if you like,” Terry explained. “I really like using herbs, flowers and roots. So they will all be found in a lot of our kombucha because I think it gives it a depth and subtlety that you would think of in a craft beer or cocktail. “
The couple started out brewing a gallon at a time at home, but Mike preferred the business in 2015. Terri joined her husband full-time during the pandemic in 2020, and the business has been booming ever since.
Some of the flavors are year-round staples like Ginger Peach & Cardamom and Honeycrisp Apple. Other summer melons taste seasonally like jalapenos. All options are certified organic.
“Our most popular flavor is Huckleberry,” Terry explained. “I always say this because it’s such an Idaho tradition that everything is Huckleberry!”
Of course, huckleberries are harvested in Idaho. Other fruits and flavors are sourced from across the Pacific Northwest, partnering with orchards and farms in Washington and Oregon for fresh produce including apples, pears, and blackberries.
Similar to the sourdough starter, the SCOBY, a staple of any kombucha, comes down to a symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast.
“It’s a living functional drink,” Terry explained. “It’s really good for your gut.”
We caught up with the pair at their Boise brewing space to reveal the process. They brew approximately 300 gallons at a time, starting with sweet tea broken into 50-gallon batches.
“Once we have it full of 50 gallons of sweet tea, we’ll put in 10 gallons of starter, like SCOBY, then it sits for two weeks,” Mike explained.
“This type of fermentation actually turns the simple ingredients of tea and sugar into probiotics, healthy bacteria, organic acids and enzymes that really help your health,” Terry said.
Though some say it’s an acquired taste, even taste testers who thought they didn’t like kombucha have been happily converted.
You can find their flavors for sale at Treasure Valley Albertsons stores, local co-ops, coffee shops, and restaurants, and the couple ships their cans nationwide.
You can learn more about their products their website, here,
