Look out 2019!

December 26, 2018 Robin Hill

Phew, it’s been a crazy 2018! In fact, the entire past 2 1/2 years seem like a bit of a blur to us; it seems like we’ve been running trying to catch up with this business ever since we launched. This community has been so good to us, allowing us to grow beyond our expectations, and for that we are supremely grateful. Here’s a look at where we’re headed in the next year and where we’ve come from. Buckle Up!

In 2019, we’re looking forward to some great things:

We’re launching our single use kombucha bottles to wholesalers. This means you could potentially get Panacea Kombucha just about ANYWHERE in New Hanover, Pender, and Brunswick Counties. Wait till you see the fab bottle design by local Wilmington experts Ebbing Branding and Design.
We’re debuting our alcoholic products. That’s right, we got our federal brewing license this year and are working on recipes right now. Local kombucha beer on the way!
We’re moving our taproom! YES, more space, more taps, more fun coming your way! Where? Well, that’s a bit of a puzzle at the moment, but we’ll let you know as soon as we know!

If you’re a new fan of Panacea, or if you’ve followed along since our very first pour, here’s a quick walk down memory lane:

Panacea launched from the Burgaw Incubator Kitchen with an opening brewing capacity of 20 gallons in August 2016.
In 2017 we rented a small commercial space to expand our brewing capacity and we worked farmers markets 6 days a week through fall.
In October 2017 we opened the doors to our tiny taproom. Our brewing capacity increased from 340 gallons to 1400 gallons.
In 2018 we grew our team from 2 to 7 employees and moved into our new production brewery which has allowed us to increase our capacity to 2600 gallons.

We’re so glad you’re along for the ride! Thanks for an amazing year!

What exactly is Craft Kombucha?

December 20, 2018 Robin Hill

Working the taproom is one of my favorite parts of owning this business. I LOVE seeing folks take their first taste of fresh, local kombucha. It’s a really unique beverage with a flavor profile unlike any other; kombucha is quirky and different, yet pulls you in rather inexplicably.

Trust me, I’ve seen all the faces:

The OMG. What did I just drink? face.

The WOW. This is interesting! face.

The PLEASE. Give me more! face.

The EW. That was gross! face.

But most frequently we get this face:

The WHAT? I’m confused, this kombucha tastes different! face.

And it does taste different, because it is different.

What kind of kombucha do you drink?

Homebrewed? Local brand? Regional brand? National brand?

We believe kombucha is always served best local.

Craft kombucha that is locally made in small batches using high quality ingredients and traditional brewing methods is not the same as the big brand commercially produced kombuchas that you can buy in most grocery stores. Don’t get me wrong here…I’m not saying commercial kombucha is bad; it’s just different. See, scaling production and distribution for a kombucha business is a logistical nightmare because kombucha is a living beverage. It takes a lot of care and attention in every step of the process. To become a nationally distributed powerhouse in the industry, compromise is inevitable. And that’s just business; as long as consumers know what’s up, I don’t think there’s a problem. So, if you didn’t know before, you know now.

What are the differences and why should you care?

First of all, our kombucha is really, really fresh. We actually prefer the taste of our kombucha aged about two months, but you’ll never find kombucha that old coming out of our taps because we can’t keep it in stock that long. Because kombucha is ALIVE, freshness matters.

Our kombucha is raw, never pasteurized. That means it’s still alive, and the billions of probiotics that are a part of the natural fermentation process slide right out of the bottle and into your belly.

Our kombucha is brewed the same way is has been brewed for centuries. We allow it to ferment as long as it needs to (usually around 3 weeks), efficiency be damned. We don’t add acids, enzymes, probiotics or flavorings to make a “kombucha like” beverage and call it kombucha.

If we can’t pronounce it or it’s engineered in a lab, we don’t add it. Yeah, I know. It seems weird that a healthy drink like kombucha would have uneccesary stuff added to the ingredient list, but start reading labels, and you’ll find it’s really very common. Kombucha only has to have water, tea, sugar, and kombucha culture. Anything else you find on and ingredient list is to enhance flavor, inhibit fermentation, improve shelf life, or boost probiotic count with lab cultured organisms.