The founders, a young couple, seem no less passionate about their product and its benefits than GT is about his, but they have no qualms showing me how they force carbonate their drink after it ferments-a practice GT shuns. When I visit Kosmic's headquarters, their product is fermenting in 50-gallon blue plastic barrels, not the small vessels that GT insists on. Complicating matters is that GT's new competitors don't necessarily hew to the same rules he does, and the easier ways to make kombucha are fast becoming the norm. What is Kombucha Kombucha is a fermented tea crafted with a living culture (known as a Scoby) added to a base of sweetened tea. For instance, Kosmic Kombucha, a four-year-old startup in Austin, recently got a financial boost from Whole Foods' Local Producer Loan program, and is using those funds to expand. He has helped spawn a lot of competitors.' In its quest to feature regional brands in its stores, Whole Foods is literally funding GT's competition. 'GT still has the best-selling brand in the category, but his growth has tailed off. Have a personal health story to share? We want to hear it.'We're seeing a surge of local production,' says Errol Schweizer, the global grocery coordinator at Whole Foods. Let’s keep in touch! Follow Yahoo Health on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest. Read This Next: Is There Such a Thing as a Healthy Cocktail? Overall, Warren says kombucha is definitely a “healthy” beverage with a unique flavor - provided you opt for one that’s low in sugar.Ĭording also cautions that people trying kombucha for the first time should only drink two to four ounces and wait to see how it affects them before drinking more. As a result, she says, it has good bacteria in the form of probiotics but it can also grow bad bacteria that can lead to foodbourne illnesses. Interested in trying kombucha? It’s important to only buy it from a trusted source, says registered dietitian nutritionist Beth Warren, author of Living a Real Life with Real Food. “Because it is raw, it is not pasturized,” she tells Yahoo Health. Within five minutes of meeting me, GT Dave, creator of the wildly popular fermented probiotic beverage GTs Kombucha, tells me the story of his conception. It reminds us that the smallest moments offer the. Moskovitz says you can also get a lot of the same perks of kombucha from other fermented foods such as kefir, kimchi, and miso paste, as well as B vitamins found in the drink from seeds, nuts, and lean meats. Taste That Transforms: Our Kombucha is natures beauty transformed. Sure, kombucha offers up probiotics (an eight-ounce bottle of Synergy Kombucha has approximately two billion probiotic organisms), but Cording says you can still get those probiotics from yogurt - and will also get calcium and vitamin D in the process. Related: The Best Teas for Sleep, Weight Loss, Stress Reduction, and More Displeased with sugary green drinks on shelves at the time, GT released a green Kombucha crafted with three of the most powerful super greens. Since selling his first case of booch in. Celebrating 25 years of authentic kombucha. GT Dave, the founder and CEO of GTs Living Foods, is credited with introducing kombucha to the masses across the U.S. Some can experience gastrointestinal issues after drinking it, and its alcohol content means it’s not ideal for pregnant women, children, and people at work, depending on your sensitivity to alcohol. Over two decades later, my mission remains stronger than ever to offer the best Kombucha you can find. While kombucha has some known benefits, Moskovitz points out that it isn’t for everyone. “We really don’t know that drinking a supplement is better than eating the whole food that those antioxidants will be found in like berries, green tea, and citrus fruits,” she tells Yahoo Health. However, she says it’s important to consider the source of the information - kombucha brands themselves. Kombucha may also have some antioxidant benefits, says New York City registered dietitian Jessica Cording. “It contains energizing B-vitamins and is a good source of healthy probiotics that aid in digestion and have been linked to strengthening the immune system,” she tells Yahoo Health. A lot of the claims surrounding kombucha are overstated, but it does have some health benefits, says Lisa Moskovitz, RD, founder of New York Nutrition Group.

Synergy kombucha founder