At WholeLife Pharmacy & Healthfoods, we’re proud to work alongside a myriad of incredible entrepreneurs who share our goal of advocating for better, more holistic health outcomes for all. It can be easy, when considering the extensive range of products on the market, to forget about those passionate individuals behind them. Who created the foods, drinks, remedies and self-care products we love and rely on? How did those ideas come to fruition?
To answer questions like these, and more, we caught up with the team behind Kommunity Brew, an Australian brand that creates fermented drinks like kombucha and kefir. Here’s what they told us:
Can you please share a bit about yourself?
I’m a 33-year-old healthy beverage entrepreneur from Perth who started Kommunity Brew with two mates in 2016. My eyes had been opened to the benefits of kombucha and fermented drinks as an alternative to alcohol during my studies and I became fascinated by the microbiome and living a life with less consumption of alcohol. Alcoholism and cancer had already gripped my family and through education and healthy living, I saw a pathway to help those in need.
Today, I love sharing Kommunity Brew’s healthy beverages with customers across Australia, and I’m constantly exploring new nutraceutical ingredients to add to our delicious small-batch cold drinks.
I’m married to my best friend, have a young son, a large organic rose garden, and a menagerie of animals, including two dogs, a cat, and an assortment of fish.
Can you tell us the story of Kommunity Brew? How did it come to be? Was it a seed of an idea for a long time, or did it all happen very quickly?
It was during my studies that herbal teas and herbal medicines jumped out at me as one of nature’s powerhouses for nutrition. The problem with extracts and bitter herbs though is that they don’t taste great. Being a non-drinker, and with zero healthy alcohol-free beverages on the market, I thought I could solve two problems with one idea—create a delicious beverage I could enjoy socially while incorporating nutritious ingredients I knew were good for me.
While travelling, I met a home brewer of kombucha and thought this fermented tea might just do the job. It tasted a little like beer and the process, although complicated, was one I felt I could master. We paired the delicious taste profile of authentic kombucha with herbal ingredients and Kommunity Brew was born.
What inspires you?
My family. Nothing spurs me on more than being able to play with my 11-year-old son, no matter what he gets up to! Thinking about one day being a grandparent beside my wife, inspires me every day to be a kinder and healthier person.
What challenges do you face?
Like so many people, achieving a balance between work and family is a constant challenge, as is finding ways to have a healthy lifestyle without the luxury of a bottomless wallet. For me, the solution is buying local whole foods, and creating healthy habits.
What does the future look like for Kommunity Brew?
The more we learn about epigenetics—the foods and behaviours that affect genetics—the more we learn that the gut microbiome has a crucial role to play, so expect to see plenty more innovation from Kommunity Brew in this area.
What drew you to work with WholeLife?
Wholefood shops are close to my heart. Not only are they where I shop, but they’re also where my career started, reviewing supplements and using foods as medicine. I especially appreciate that WholeLife looks at the complete health picture as a mixture of pharmacy and healthy living. They represent future thinking and are essential to making healthy lifestyles more accessible.
