The concern originated on the East coast when a smaller kombucha producer's product was tested and pulled from shelves for the same reason. 5 percent when left unrefrigerated, Dave says. But after legal alcohol-level concerns surfaced this past summer, his product was pulled from shelves.Ĭoncerns were raised that the drink's trace amounts of alcohol could increase above. He took his product and began hand-delivering to a local health-food store.įifteen years and countless bottles later, Dave says his product's popularity continued to skyrocket. This source of inspiration became the driving force of his company, Dave says. " blessed my family and could potentially bless others." "During the time of her diagnosis, I was inspired and compelled," Dave says. Laraine had been making and drinking kombucha as a beauty aid for two years prior, and Dave says doctors were floored when tests a week after her diagnosis showed the cancerous cells had not spread. His mother, Laraine, was diagnosed with a fast-growing and aggressive form of breast cancer in 1995 after doctors found a golf-ball sized tumor.
Many who drink it for medicinal value claim that the tea helps helps with digestion, aids the immune system, and wards off cancer, among other things, but skeptics say these claims are unsubstantiated.Ī pivotal point in Dave's life changed him from skeptic to believer. Kombucha is a fermented tea that contains live cultures of yeast and bacteria that's been consumed since the 19th century (mainly in Russia). Dave himself about what prompted the sudden concerns that led to the product's disappearance and when fans can expect it back in stores.
This summer, the product from one of the drink's largest manufacturers, California-based GT's Kombucha, was pulled from local store shelves with little explanation. Kombucha: The vinegary, foul-smelling tea, elixir, or whatever, that all your hipster friends are drinking.