Just over a year ago, the husband and wife team behind
Unity Vibration Kombucha were forced to halt production for five months while government regulators figured out how exactly they should classify kombucha tea, revered as a health drink.
"It was difficult financially and mentally," says Rachel Kanaan, co-founder of Unity Vibration. "But it gave us time to plan what we were going to do."
Because the living, probiotic drink can have an average of 1 to 3 percent alcohol by volume, regulators re-classified the increasingly popular drink as an alcoholic beverage. While other producers shut down or began diluting their recipes to remove the alcohol, Rachel and her husband Tarek turned lemons into lemonade by adding kombucha beer to their product line.
"We weren't going to compromise our values," says Tarek. "We wanted to continue to operate in a way that produces the best kombucha."
The decision to embrace the change has paid off, as the Ypsilanti-based company's beer sales now outpace tea sales. Up until now their products have been sold in stores and restaurants across the state. But the company caught the eye of a San Francisco Bay Area distributor, which will bring Unity Vibration to a market five times the size of the entire Michigan market.
The growing demand propelled Rachel and Tarek from their home kitchen to a 2,400-square-foot space in Ypsilanti's Depot Town. They will move their brewing operations to 93 Ecorse Road within a few months, purchasing new equipment to support the increased production.
Not many brewers have experimented with the gluten-free kombucha beer, with only a few distributed locally in New York and Chicago. "It's very innovative," says Andrew Gorsuch, general manager of
The Produce Station in Ann Arbor. "They've created a whole new category."
Timed well to ride the current craft beer wave, kombucha beer has a taste similar to a Lambic. Unity Vibration brews a ginger and a raspberry beer. "The ginger isn't too hardcore, it's just enough to make it taste fresh," says Gorsuch. "It'd be perfect for a hot summer day because it's pretty light."
Unity Vibration got its start in 2006 when Rachel and Tarek met in Ann Arbor. Rachel, a New York native with a background in early childhood education and massage therapy, was giving a massage while Tarek rode past on his bicycle. Tarek, who grew up in Ann Arbor and has degrees in mechanical engineering and social work from the University of Michigan, says it was love at first sight.
Kombucha was starting to grow in popularity at that time. Tarek had a bit of brewing experience, and Rachel happened to have a SCOBY, or a Symbiotic Culture of Bacteria and Yeast, the active culture used to brew kombucha.
Rachel was recovering from breast cancer, and kombucha is known for its health benefits. Though little research has been published, kombucha proponents say the effervescent beverage detoxifies the body, increases energy, aids in digestion and even helps with cancer recovery.
"People like it because it's raw," says Tarek. "You can feel the energy in your body."
The couple shared the tea with family and friends, moving on to sell their 25-ounce shareable bottles at the farmers' market on the weekends. "We never thought we'd have a factory or a bottling company when we started," says Tarek.
The Kanaans named the company after their outlook on life. "We believe in unity of people and unity of things in general," says Tarek. "We wanted people to think about the name and the positive message, and what it means."
To brew their kombucha tea, the Kanaans place the gelatinous SCOBY in water, adding sugarcane juice and black tea. The liquid ferments, and they add natural, organic flavors like fruit juice and herbs before bottling. It takes them four weeks to brew each batch of tea, and an additional two weeks for the bottle-conditioned beer.
"We consider ourselves artisans, and set an intention to make the best in the world," says Rachel. "Because we're small, the process takes longer but it also helps improve the taste."
After getting past the regulatory issues last year, Unity Vibration signed with Kalamazoo-based distributor
Imperial Beverage to get their tea in restaurants and fresh markets across the state. Sales were steady, but the product wasn't taking off as fast as the Kananns had hoped.
Then in early 2011, a private investor from Ann Arbor contacted the couple after reading an article about the company online. The investor bought into the company, infusing Unity Vibration with the capital needed to hire Northville-based
Flow Design. The design firm, which has also created packaging for Honest Tea, Peet's Coffee and Tea and Skyy, gave the Unity Vibration labels a look that fits the brand and nearly jumps off shelves, leading to a 400-percent boost in sales.
Tarek and Rachel are the only Unity Vibration full-time employees, though that may change in the future with the increased production. They each do a little of everything operationally, though Tarek tends to focus more on the brewery operations while Rachel handles tastings, sales and people-focused activities.
"It's definitely an 80-hour a week job, and we're always talking about it or thinking about it," says Rachel. "It absorbs our life, and we're working hard to succeed."
Unity Vibration brews
five regular flavors of tea, four seasonals and two beers, with another to be added this year. All the ingredients used to make the teas and beers are organic, and flavors like mint, raspberry and pear are locally sourced when possible.
"Although we are into the health aspects, taste and quality ingredients are our main focus," says Tarek.
The Produce Station's Gorsuch says kombucha is growing in popularity, especially in progressive college towns like Ann Arbor. "People buy it by the case, and it seems to be catching on here," he says.
The Kanaans view kombucha as a healthy alternative to soda, and hope they can help more people realize that healthy choices can also taste good.
"We're going to push it as far as we can," says Tarek. "We want to spread our message to the world."
All photos by Doug Coombe
Photos:
Tarek and Rachel Kanaan in their Ypsilanti home
Unity Vibration Kombucha Beer
Unity Vibration Kombucha Tea
Tarek and Rachel at Unity Vibration Kombucha's future brewing location on Ecorse Road