Whalebird Kombucha

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Whalebird Kombucha staff photo

Whalebird Kombucha Dive Deeper. Fly Higher.

Story by Felipe Vallejo Photos provided by Felipe Vallejo and Whalebird Kombucha

Kombucha can be described as a refreshing, fermented beverage. It’s made from brewing tea using bacteria and yeast, and it's packed with active culture probiotics. Curious what fermented tea could possibly taste like? The beverage can be found in grocery stores, gas stations and even on tap in San Luis Obispo at Whalebird and Cal Poly’s University Union. The beverage is a mix of tart, dry sweetness that some kombucha purveyors describe as a hybrid of apple cider and beer. agcircle | 19

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he fermentation process used to create kombucha carbonates the drink and allows probiotics to form. Kombucha is most commonly made through a double fermentation process using a scoby (Symbiotic Culture of Bacteria and Yeast). This pancake-shaped scoby is placed in a sweetened tea mixture and left to ferment at room temperature for up to three weeks. According to Food Research International, the taste of kombucha changes during the fermentation process from a “fruit sour-like lightly sparkling flavor” to a “mild vinegar-like” taste. After the drink is fermented in the first round, it is bottled for one to two weeks to contain released CO2 and encourage carbonation. Then, the bottled kombucha is refrigerated to slow the carbonation and fermentation process.

As stated by the International Journal of Food Microbiology, kombucha is a traditional fermentation of sweetened tea, “involving a symbiosis of yeast species and acetic acid bacteria.” Originating in what is now Manchuria, the kombucha beverage was consumed in 220 BC during the Tsin Dynasty for its “detoxifying and energizing properties.” Around 414 BC, a Korean physician by the name of Kombu imported the drink to Japan. It spread to Russia and Germany in the early 1900s through trade. In the 1990s, kombucha appeared in the U.S. Helping to lead the kombucha trend on California’s Central Coast is Whalebird Kombucha. Mike Durighello, co-founder and CEO, began Whalebird in January 2012 in his garage as Komplete Kombucha.

Durighello studied sustainable agriculture at UC Santa Cruz, where

his interest in kombucha emerged.

As his interest in kombucha grew, Durighello teamed up with friends, and they brewed their own batch in Durighello’s kitchen. From there, their kombucha operation progressed by learning through YouTube videos and brewing in the garage with a homemade, temperature-controlled fermentation chamber. The idea that began in a kitchen blossomed into a business.

While growing the kombucha business, Durighello teamed with "numbers guy" Jake Pritzlaff, also known as Whalebird's chief financial officer. Unfamiliar with kombucha, Pritzlaff had his first taste and

and production. Together, the four aimed to “make the best kombucha the world has ever seen.”

While the business evolved, the eager kombucha brewers knew their market presence needed to change as well. In August of 2015, Komplete Kombucha officially rebranded to what is now Whalebird Kombucha.

“We didn’t want to blend in with other kombucha brands. We wanted to aim for something our customers can get lost in and enjoy,” Durighello said. The rebrand gave Whalebird Kombucha a new logo and mindset.

With the rebranding, the Whalebird team’s new mission became clear: Make the best Kombucha the world has ever seen, and share its fizzy goodness across the coast.

“We want people to know that Whalebird Kombucha isn’t just for the health-conscious drinker; it is also for the avid wine or craft beer drinker too,” Durighello said. He added that the positive lifestyle the company tries to emit has allowed the Whalebird team to bridge the gap between kombucha and the craft beverage industry.

Customers can attest to the unique taste of Whalebird’s products with a mix of dried ingredients, edible essential oils, and wild fermentation that ultimately creates a bold and balanced flavor. Avid Whalebird customers Nicole Booten and Kayla Kline enjoy the variety the company offers. “We always go back and forth between the Dry Hopped Pamplemousse and Jasmine Bliss,” Booten said.

Taste isn’t the only factor the Whalebird team stands by. The company, which values sustainability and support for the environment,

"We didn’t want to blend in with other kombucha brands. We wanted to aim for something our customers can get lost in and enjoy."

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- Mike Durighello immediately loved it. After Durighello sold his first Ginger Sarsaparilla kombucha keg to Bliss Café in San Luis Obispo, Pritzlaff officially joined the team. The garage operation turned into a full-scale brewery, expanding their kombucha team with the addition of Lee Wilkerson and Dustin Oswald in 2015.

Wilkerson, a mechanical engineer, is the foundation of Whalebird’s research and development department and helped with streamlining production.

Adding his 10 years of beer industry experience, Oswald joined as the master of distribution management

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packages its produce in five-gallon stainless steel kegs. The kombucha kegs allowed Whalebird to enter the market faster than most competitors, which offer single-bottle distribution. The decision to package in kegs allowed the company to preserve the fresh quality better than any bottle could and solidified Whalebird as California’s on-tap kombucha. Along with these sustainable kegs, Whalebird remains environmentally conscious and provides refillable glass growlers at each tap station to encourage customers to re-use and make bulk purchases.

Whalebird aims to serve as a contributing member of the San Luis Obispo community by constantly looking

for new ways to reduce waste and create a better environment for the future.

Interested in tasting kombucha? Head on over to the Whalebird tasting room at 3576 Empleo Street, Suite 1, San Luis Obispo. For more information, visit www.whalebirdkombucha.com.

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