Published by Leonardo Calcagno
Who are you and what is your background?
Matthew Brothers. I am a high school teacher with a background in English and Social Studies
Your current job:
I split my time between teaching high school and brewing
In which city:
Sheffield, VT
How did you discover kombucha?
Originally, I was turned on to kombucha by friends living on the West Coast.
What prompted you to start your company?
I began to brew kombucha at home, and then I began selling it at local Farmers Markets. I learned a lot about brewing and received great feedback from people at the Markets which inspired me to go through the arduous licensing process.
What makes your product unique?
Our kombucha is fresher and less fermented than many others. Although there is a temptation to make larger batches as we grow, we are committed to brewing in small batches. We focus on fruit flavors. Our ginger is from fresh ginger root, not concentrate, and we grow our own hops for our raspberry hops kombucha. Quality ingredients are essential.
What do you want to convey through your brand image?
Our commitment is to quality and community. We are producing a healthy, high quality, tasty product. More importantly, we want to contribute to the local community. We are committed to being involved and connected locally. One of our goals is to contribute to environmental education with a portion of our profits.
What are the main challenges in your company?
We are fairly new so there are plenty of challenges. Scaling up while maintaining the same level of quality is one. The other is distribution. Our approach has been to be patient as we take those steps.
What tools are essential for your work(app, software)?
Brew pots!
A word to define what type of worker you are:
7 days a week.
What does your office space look like?
The same as my brew space- just add a computer and cell phone.
Do you have a way to organize your days to optimize your work?
I am so busy that my days organize themselves.
What tips would you give to improve productivity?
Work out a system and stick with it. Try to find the little efficiencies that can save valuable time.
What is the best advice you have been given?
In general, I have received lots of valuable advice from customers and vendors. Ultimately it is about making the product that they want.
What are your end-of-day and early-day routine?
Because I also have a full-time job, early mornings are brewing and bottling, and so is the end of the day.
Apart from your computer and your phone, what gadget cannot you do without?
Hydrometer, PH meter.,
upcoming products or projects?
I will be experimenting with some new flavors to add to the menu. I am especially interested in using more local products, though this has been a challenge to make work so far.
kingdomkombucha.com | facebook.com/kingdomkombucha
