Richard Radcliff Trice on Why the Kombucha Trend is Here to Stay
Home brewer Richard Radcliff Trice joins other advocates in believing that instead of it being a seasonal trend, the kombucha industry will keep on growing from being a niche field, to one of the major players in the beverage industry.
Kombucha started as a health drink, and most believers still brew the drink in their own homes because of this primary reason. Kombuchas, or booch, is made from fermenting tea with SCOBY, a bacteria-yeast combo called the “mother” that consumes the sugars and caffeine in the drink via fermentation. According to advocates, the process releases probiotics which are beneficial in wellness, especially in gut health.
Meanwhile, although there home brewers like Richard Radcliff Trice who mix booches as personal interests, there are those who have ventured into making kombuchas an industry. Figures indicate that kombucha brewing is a growing niche, with a current economic impact in the beverage industry being in the $800-million revenue. In addition, it is expected that with the rate it’s going, booch making will become a $1.2-billion industry by 2020.
Believers say this is concrete evidence that instead of just being a seasonal trend, kombucha brewing will make a huge mark in the market.
However, although its positive growth is welcome news, there are also issues with the supposed growth. One concern is that even if kombuchas are brewed with only trace amounts of alcohol, they are still considered as alcoholic beverage, and are subject to tax. This is because kombucha continues to ferment when stored. The alcohol by volume (ABV) content for tax regulations is also pegged at only 0.5 percent.
The kombucha industry is growing that even the government is taking notice of its issues and try to resolve them. The US Senate has introduced the KOMBUCHA Act, which if passed, increases the ABV limit to 1.25 percent, a significant amount that may make booch making tax-exempt.
Kombucha started as a health drink, and most believers still brew the drink in their own homes because of this primary reason. Kombuchas, or booch, is made from fermenting tea with SCOBY, a bacteria-yeast combo called the “mother” that consumes the sugars and caffeine in the drink via fermentation. According to advocates, the process releases probiotics which are beneficial in wellness, especially in gut health.
Meanwhile, although there home brewers like Richard Radcliff Trice who mix booches as personal interests, there are those who have ventured into making kombuchas an industry. Figures indicate that kombucha brewing is a growing niche, with a current economic impact in the beverage industry being in the $800-million revenue. In addition, it is expected that with the rate it’s going, booch making will become a $1.2-billion industry by 2020.
Believers say this is concrete evidence that instead of just being a seasonal trend, kombucha brewing will make a huge mark in the market.
However, although its positive growth is welcome news, there are also issues with the supposed growth. One concern is that even if kombuchas are brewed with only trace amounts of alcohol, they are still considered as alcoholic beverage, and are subject to tax. This is because kombucha continues to ferment when stored. The alcohol by volume (ABV) content for tax regulations is also pegged at only 0.5 percent.
The kombucha industry is growing that even the government is taking notice of its issues and try to resolve them. The US Senate has introduced the KOMBUCHA Act, which if passed, increases the ABV limit to 1.25 percent, a significant amount that may make booch making tax-exempt.
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