Published by Leonardo Calcagno
Who are you and what is your background?
My name is Matt Lancor, I am the founder of Kombuchade. I believe in a higher human potential, and I think it will take more than sugar water & food coloring to get there. For this reason, we create performance Kombucha using organic teas, herbs, and superfoods.
I am an athlete, creator, engineer, and dreamer. My professional background is in Material Science Engineering. I worked on many projects in the industrial automation space before founding Kombuchade. Now I find myself engineering probiotic teas for athletes, movers, dreamers, and shakers.
Your current job:
Founder/Brew Master at Kombuchade
In which city:
Chicago, IL
How did you discover kombucha?
I was playing in the USA Rugby Nationals 7’s tournament in Seattle. We rented a large home to house the team and I volunteered to go help do the grocery shopping. I found some GT’s Kombucha on an end cap and I liked that I saw. Probiotics, Vitamins, Organic Acids, and this one even had algae in it! I drank 3 bottles over the duration of the weekend tournament, and I felt great.
What prompted you to start your company?
My love of food, coupled with my experience in the manufacturing space. Kombucha solved a personal pain point for me. As an athlete, I was always looking for something that wasn’t water or a protein shake but would taste good and help me in my training.
What makes your product unique?
We use exclusively organic ingredients, we source fair trade when possible, and everything is handcrafted in glass batches right here in Chicago.
What do you want to convey through your brand image?
The potential that everyone has inside of them to be great. Some of us have everything we need to succeed, and we owe it to the others who do not, to make sure we create abundance for everyone.
What are the main challenges in your company?
Our main challenge is making our Kombucha available for all those who enjoy it! We love that we’ve gotten such great feedback from Chicago and we’re working diligently to make it available in more places around Chicago.
What tools are essential for your work(app, software)?
Quickbooks! It makes everything so easy. It puts all of your info in one place, ready to plug into TurboTax.
A word to define what type of worker you are:
Persistent
What does your office space look like?
Coffee shops and restaurants all over Chicago. I like to pop in and work in a space before we decide if they are a fit for our product. We are looking for places where we can both have long-term success, partnering and collaborating together.
Do you have a way to organize your days to optimize your work?
Yes. I journal every morning, with three subjects. Dreams, Gratitude, and Creating.
Dreams: Anything I can recall, I just write until I can’t remember anymore. Sometimes they only come in scenes or bullet points. If I can’t remember anything, I write “I intend on remembering my dreams when they will be useful for me”
Gratitude: I write three things I am supremely grateful for. See example from this mornings entry:
I am supremely grateful for Connection
I am supremely grateful for Development
I am supremely grateful for Love
Although it is not uncommon to see me grateful for physical items, people, specific foods, etc…
Creating: I usually have 1-3 big things, that if I complete, I can go to sleep knowing that I advanced on my mission to empower others on this planet. Ex. Meeting with designers to finalize our labels, networking with industry professionals, delivering Kombucha, running a homebrewing class, and many others.
Then there are usual to-do list types of things. Ex. Send invoices, pay car insurance, order ingredients
What tips would you give to improve productivity?
Meditate, and focus on what is actually important that you can do today to move forward. Businesses are like plants, they take lots of love & care. But, they take time as well, so do what you need to do, and then take care of yourself and live your life.
What is the best advice you have been given?
Sometimes you have to put your balls on the table. Meaning, sometimes you just have to go for it! The only one stopping you is yourself and what you think other people are going to say.
What are your end-of-day and early-day routine?
Early:
1) Organic Tea with raw, local honey, add Raw & Organic Maca Root & Ashwaghanda Root powders
2) Cold Shower with breathing techniques
3) 15 pushups, 15 pull-ups, small ab routine
4) 5-minute meditation
5) 5 minutes of guitar playing
Late:
1) Cannabis to help relax and wind down from the day
Apart from your computer and your phone, what gadget cannot you do without?
Upcoming products or projects?
We’re working on an alcoholic apple cider + Chai Kombucha, Kombucha leather wallets, and a variety of super herby kombucha vinegar for cooking purposes.
kombuchade.com | facebook.com/Kombuchade
