KOMBUCHA IS THE NEW COOL DRINK
Kombucha @fluiditeakombucha
Photo @dineshshukla40
Location Sale & Pepe – Ristorante Italiano Ahmedabad
For further reading: https://feamag.com/food_magazine/culinary-may-2022/
Better-for-you is fast becoming the buzzword for food and beverage consumers. Diners at cafes and restaurants are beginning to ask for functional beverages like dairy beverages, sports and performance drinks, energy drinks, green teas, fortified fruit drinks, plant milks, and enriched mineral water. The drinks that claim to be rich in probiotics, prebiotics, antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, botanicals, adaptogens or protein are seeing a surge in demand.
Fermented drinks like kombucha, kefir and natural soda are becoming popular as they are said to boost the health of intestinal cells, improve immune function and aid in food digestion. Rich in probiotics, these fizzy drinks are a particularly good choice for those looking for healthier sodas with interesting taste profiles.
Says home chef Sargam Manjawala of Fluiditea Kombucha “ with growing concern about gut health, fermented drinks like kombucha and kefir are now brewed by home chefs for their clients, and also are being bottled and branded commercially. They are available at retail stores and are also increasingly finding a presence on the menus of restaurants and cafes’’. Kiran Amin of Cherry-on-the-top, another home chef from Ahmedabad, also agrees that kombucha is seeing a growing demand in the market.
Beverages in trend:
· Kombucha is a fermented fizzy drink made from bacteria, yeast, sugar, and black or green tea.
· Kefir is a fermented milk drink, cultured from kefir grains. It is a source of calcium, protein, and B vitamins.
· Smoothies are made by pureeing fruits and vegetables. They are gaining popularity because they contain fruits and vegetables which are recommended in a healthy diet.
· Protein shakes and protein smoothies are becoming popular as protein supplements as the addition or dairy, fruits or vegetables compensates for the chalky taste of protein powder.
· Zero-alcohol beer, wine and spirit alternatives is another category that is seeing growth among those who want to socialize with such drinks but are avoiding alcohol.
· Traditional Indian cultured dairy drinks like chaas and lassi are now being bottled commercially.
Honey Islam, Founder and Chief Brewing Officer, Mountain Bee, says “drinking aerated beverages is not cool anymore. Millennials and GenZ are more aware about health and are accepting the tastes of fermented drinks. When I decided to start a functional beverage business, gut-health was one of the primary drivers because kombucha contains organic acids, bioavailable antioxidants, live-probiotics, enzymes and B-vitamins. Another interesting feature of kombucha is that it is a versatile beverage. From shots to a sober drink, one can have many uses for it. As a new category we are pioneering R&D, production and design specific to kombucha production. Since our inception we had an eye for detail and creative thinking, from understanding production nuances to finding marketing avenues, we like to think out-of-the-box”.
“I call kombucha the poster child of fermented foods. There is no other beverage that is as weird, mysterious and delicious as kombucha. Kombucha is popular globally and not it is definitely finding a market in India. From 2016 to now the number of kombucha-emtreprenuers has increased more than10 fold. Growth in the entire kombucha ecosystem – from kombucha makers and suppliers to consumers is a true reflection that kombucha is far more popular in India than it was a few years ago”, she explains.
Say John Grams and Avantika Jalan, Founders, The Kombucha Co. , “our primary inspiration for kombucha was tea. We are a family tea group with over 90 years’ experience making some of the finest tea in Assam. As a group, we have always tried to be innovative when it comes to growing and drinking tea. We first learned about kombucha from our customers in America. They told us how much they loved brewing kombucha with our tea, and how delicious the results were. After that feedback, we decided to try brewing kombucha for ourselves. From our first SCOBY we were hooked. After a few batches, we decided that we wanted to share our kombucha with the world and so The Kombucha Co. was born”. He says that Kombucha also offers a healthier, more upscale alternative to alcoholic beverages than soda. “ I think we have a lot of opportunity in corporate events, especially those that cannot serve alcoholic beverages due to time of day, or nature of the attendees. Like a working lunch at a corporate retreat”, he opines.
Vikram Mittal, co-founder and head brewer, Commbucha by Mavi, says, “Since Kombucha has been sold as a healthy beverage we thought that it was a good idea to talk about it as an alternate or a mixer. Another huge opportunity lies in the vegan market where there is a demand for good plant-based healthy probiotic beverage options. A product that strikes a balance between healthy and tasty is a tight rope walk and fortunately we have been able to crack that as well to an extent. And finally Kombucha has become the buzz word because of small entrepreneurs like us who have worked hard to educate people about the amazing world of fermented beverages”. He says the Indian market is becoming more aware of global trends because of television and the internet, travel and a rising income group. “The availability of locally-crafted beverages which suits their palate and style has boosted the kombucha demand’’, he states, adding proudly, “we offer a wide range of fermented food options in the country at the moment – Mavi makes Kombucha, kefir, ginger ale, beekvass (a beverage made with Beetroot and assorted spices). tepache THAT is a popular Mexican drink made from fermented ripe pineapples, fermented garlic khimchi and saurkraut. The products are available at branded stores and restaurants. Health-aware customers are no longer just counting calories, they are in search of value addition in terms of probiotics, vitamin B12, and of course adaptability and lifestyle”.
Cyriac Thomas, Founder, Umami Brew, says, “when travelling across Russia and East Europe, I saw people brewing different fermented drinks at home in keeping with centuries-old traditions. This got me interested in kombucha. My home-brewed kombucha was appreciated by some chefs and I started getting orders to supply them for their restaurants. As I entered into the business, I was addressing the elephant in the room as to why people were having these artificially flavoured, sugar-loaded drinks when one knew it was really bad for your health in the short as well as long term. I set about making a drink that was just as tasty and refreshing as the colas – keeping intact the satisfaction one gets from the fizz – all the while being healthy and containing way less sugar. It is my mission that people start replacing the sugar-rich aerated soft drinks with these better-for-you beverages’’.
