This archive report was first published on 16 August 2019.
August 16, 2019, marked the rise of kombucha, a fermented tea drink, in Kenya.
Booch, a Nairobi-based company, is one of the pioneers behind raw kombucha in Kenya. Founded by Eoin Flinn, the company uses oolong tea from Kenyan farms and ferments it via a SCOBY (Symbiotic Colony of Bacteria and Yeast).
According to Eoin, the tea is processed differently than black or green tea, resulting in a less bitter taste. The company adds cane sugar to the tea, which aids in the fermentation process.
Booch's kombucha is flavored with strawberry, ginger, blueberry, or raspberry and sold in stores such as Zucchini, Healthy U, gyms, and restaurants.
With a background in manufacturing and experience working in China and the US, Eoin and his wife Meghan started Booch two years ago as a side project while doing consultancy jobs in Nairobi.
They are now looking to expand their production to include craft beer. Eoin advises that kombucha should be kept refrigerated at all times to maintain the fermentation process.
He also notes that pasteurizing the drink would interfere with the probiotics and reduce the health benefits by around 70 percent.
