Mother Kombucha is a Florida kombucha brewery, based in the St. Petersburg area of Pinellas County, that brews on single-origin tea from Teatulia's 3,000 acre regenerative organic farm in Bangladesh.
Its co-founder Tonya Donati describes a multi-phase fermentation that is not the quickest or easiest way to make kombucha, and its flavors range from Goji Grape on green tea, jasmine and young pu-erh to Lavender Mojito.
Mother Kombucha brews in Pinellas County, Florida, on tea from a single farm. That farm belongs to Teatulia, which grows tea on 3,000 acres of regenerative, organic land in Bangladesh and is a certified B Corp, as Mother's About page explains. Co-founder Tonya Donati puts the brewery's approach in one line: their multi-phase fermentation process isn't the quickest or the easiest way to make kombucha, but they think it's the best way. Everything below is from Mother's own pages.
| Flavor | Tea | Botanicals and fruit |
|---|---|---|
| Goji Grape | Teatulia green, jasmine, young pu-erh | Hibiscus, goji, elderberry, lavender, rose hips, grape |
| Lavender Mojito | Teatulia green, rooibos | Lime, spearmint, lavender |
| Hopped Passionfruit | Teatulia green, organic hops | Passionfruit, hibiscus, amla |
| The Trop | Teatulia green | Pineapple, coconut, Florida saw palmetto berry |
The tea is the point
Most kombucha labels say tea and stop there. Mother names the farm. Goji Grape is the most interesting of the lineup on paper: Teatulia green tea and jasmine with young pu-erh, which the Brewer's Notes describe as including Chinese heirloom broad-leaf varieties that developed complexity over centuries of seed propagation. Pu-erh is itself a fermented tea, so a kombucha built partly on it is fermented twice over. Hibiscus and goji give it a deep red, and the notes promise an aromatic grape finish.
The other flavors keep the green tea base and change the top. Lavender Mojito adds rooibos, lime, spearmint and lavender. Hopped Passionfruit brings organic hops, which give a bitter, piney lift, against tropical passionfruit and tart amla, the Indian gooseberry. The Trop is pineapple and coconut with Florida saw palmetto berry, a nod to where the brewery is. Each product page also suggests food to drink it with, from Latin and Middle Eastern cooking to grilled vegetables, which is unusual and useful.
How the brewery runs
Mother's About page lists the rest. Every bit of spent tea and culture from brewing is composted with community gardens, mostly at Title 1 schools in Pinellas County. The building it calls the Mothership has solar panels on the roof. Full-time staff start at or above the county's living wage and get paid time off to volunteer. Its case boxes for shops went fully recycled in 2020. The kombucha is certified organic, and the line page prints 35 calories or less per bottle.
The bottles are 12 ounces, sold in 12-packs. The brewery also makes a lighter line it calls Agua Bucha, in citrus flavors such as Key lime and Meyer lemon.
Questions
Where does Mother Kombucha get its tea?
From Teatulia, which grows tea on a 3,000 acre regenerative, organic farm in Bangladesh and is a certified B Corp, according to Mother's About page.
How is Mother Kombucha made?
Co-founder Tonya Donati calls it a multi-phase fermentation process that is not the quickest or easiest way, but the one they think is best.
What happens to Mother Kombucha's spent tea?
All spent tea and cultures are composted with community gardens, mostly at Title 1 schools in Pinellas County.
What size are Mother Kombucha bottles?
The shop sells 12 ounce bottles in 12-packs.
