Baba’s Bucha was founded in 2015 by loyal Kimberton Whole Foods customer, Olga Sorzano. Growing up in Soviet Russia in the 1980s, Olga began drinking kombucha with her great-grandmother (Baba) at a young age. She remembers how she loved that sweet fizzy drink, and her Baba is now the namesake of her company. Says Olga, “It is great that we are seeing more and more people looking for healthy low sugar alternatives to sodas and energy drinks. We love educating the community on the amazing health benefits of kombucha. All our passion and hard work is focused on craft brewing local farm to bottle kombucha that would make Baba proud.”
What is kombucha?
Pronounced “kom-BOO-cha”, it is a fermented tea beverage that is rich in probiotics and live enzymes. Baba’s Bucha uses only the finest, fair trade organic tea and sugar, triple purified water, and local, seasonal produce in the making of their kombucha. First, the tea is carefully brewed. Then, symbiotic colonies of bacteria and yeast (SCOBY) are added, which gives the drink effervescence and a slightly sour flavor. Finally, it is flavored with local organic produce, herbs, and spices to create a variety of unique flavors. Baba’s Bucha is vegan, raw, gluten-free and has no artificial flavorings or colors. Enthusiasts believe kombucha boosts the immune system, aids in digestion and detoxifies the body. Learn more about kombucha.
Baba’s Brew is Born
After moving to the United States in 2000, Olga was inspired to begin brewing her own so she could enjoy that bubbly taste of home. By 2008, when she was pregnant with her first child, she began brewing more consistently, as she found that it helped alleviate her nausea. Though trained as a veterinarian, she worked for years as a personal chef before starting Baba’s Bucha with her husband in February of 2015. They began brewing their kombucha out of Artisan Exchange, an incubator kitchen located in West Chester, PA. At the time, their space was only 90 square feet and the brewed just 40 gallons a week. That Spring, they brought their kombucha to the Phoenixville Farmers Market, and shortly after, Kimberton Whole Foods became one of their first retail accounts. “The Phoenixville and Kimberton community was so supportive of us,” says Olga.
By June of 2016, they were ready for a larger space, and moved their operation to a 6,000 square foot facility in Phoenixville. Here, they brew 800 gallons each week: half is bottled and half is kegged. They sell to over 200 wholesale accounts and 50 of those locations (including four of our stores!) serve their kombucha on-tap. About a year after moving to Phonenixville, they opened their tasting room and health and wellness community center called A Culture Factory. It is open to the public from 10am-3pm on Saturdays and is also the site of numerous workshops and events throughout the week, including yoga, aerial yoga, concerts, fermentation classes, and womens circles, among others.
Locally-Sourced Ingredients
When asked about how she sources locally, Olga said, “We are very fortunate to have our brewery surrounded by many amazing local farms, orchards, farmer’s markets and farm stands. We asked ourselves, why should we use oranges from Florida or mangoes from Mexico if we can use local apples from Frecon farm in Boyertown, honey from Swarmbustin’ in West Grove and Asian pears from Quarryville Orchards in Lancaster County. We only use whole organic fruit, berries, herbs and spices to infuse our kombucha just like by great-grandmother Baba did. We never dilute our kombucha with any juices, concentrates, purees or extracts. Our mission is to craft brew farm to bottle kombucha.”
You’ll find Baba’s Bucha kombucha bottled in our grab-n-go drink cases, and on tap at our Collegeville, Downingtown, Kimberton, and Malvern stores. Look for flavors like Purple Rain, Flower Power, Bee’s Knees, and Ruby Sipper, as well as seasonal flavors on tap!
