MUSKEGON, Mich. — A simple search for a change in lifestyle kicked off a local kombucha powerhouse.
Zack Smith and Brenna Kelley, an engaged couple from Muskegon, both hated kombucha when they first tried it. Eventually, though, they saw the positive impact it had on their health.
So, in 2017, they started Lively Up Kombucha with the goal of empowering others with every sip.
Before we track their path to success, first let's understand what kombucha is.
"Kombucha is a ancient fermented tea that's over 3,000 years old, and its origins are from China," Smith said. "It's considered the tea of immortality. ... As far as ingredients go, it's water, tea, sugar and a culture. It goes through a fermentation process that produces probiotics and healthy acids that help with digestion and clean the liver and, overall, better state of wellness.”
That last part is important. It was the catalyst for Smith's interest in the beverage.
“I just wasn't living the most healthiest lifestyle," he said. "I was trying to make a change in my life, but I didn't have a course of direction."
He continued, "My first experience with kombucha, I actually spit it out all over my car. ... I was like, 'Oh well, finally something that's not nice to me. So I'm gonna keep drinking it. Maybe it's a good thing.' From then on, it just pushed me into a direction of organic, healthy eating, and it ultimately was the starting block to changing and saving my life.”
Kelley had a similar reaction to kombucha the first time she tried it as well.
“I was probably 13 or 14, and my sister bought it at a health food store," she said. "So we took a sip of it, and I immediately spit it out. I was like, 'What are you drinking? This is disgusting!'”
"Then I ended up in Hawaii," she added. "Just through traveling the Big Island, I noticed that kombucha was a very dominant culture, and that it was a lot more than just a beverage on a shelf. ... Then I ended up coming home, and that's where Zack and I started brewing it just for fun at our house.”
After lots of trial and error, they launched Lively Up Kombucha in 2017. In just six years, they have grown big enough to be in 250 stores across the state, including all 125 Meijer locations in Michigan.