Lively Up Kombucha is based out of Muskegon, MI and is brewing up some of the best kombucha I’ve ever had in my life. I was able to meet up with the owner of the kombucha brewery, Zack Smith, to learn more about his kombucha journey.
Prior to Lively Up Kombucha LLC, Zack and his partner, Brenna Kelley, backpacked in Hawaii. The Muskegon area natives were enjoying the nomadic, hippie lifestyle when one day they both wondered whether or not they were going to continue on or return to their roots. They decided to return to Muskegon with the goal to bring conscious living to the lake shore with kombucha and drum circles.
The drum circles took off and became a mainstay at local beaches. Creating kombucha started off as a family tradition with Zack’s mom and it soon took over her home with shelves upon shelves of kombucha. Word spread to friends and family and soon the community with a few successful weekends at the Muskegon Farmers Market. Zack began networking with local farmers to create business partnerships and used their ingredients to create delicious kombucha.
Photo Credit – Lively Up Kombucha
Those successful sales at the farmers market were in 2017. Fast forward to 2021 and Lively Up Kombucha has organically taken off. Zack and Brenna currently occupy a former ice cream shop in the neighborhood community of Roosevelt Park. They are mostly open on Saturdays for patrons to restock on taproom exclusive kombucha flavors and purchase bottles of the kombucha brewery’s mainstays: Lavender Bliss, Blueberry Harvest, Tropical Dream, the OG Jammin’ Ginger, and their current seasonal brew named after the current solstice or equinox.
I was able to sample all of the mainstays, along with the Winter Solstice Wizard Berry. My favorite of the five was the bestseller Jammin’ Ginger. It was light pink in color and had tons of ginger on the nose and throughout each sip. The ginger paired well with the hibiscus flowers and oolong tea. It wasn’t too carbonated and had a soft mouthfeel.
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The other kombucha flavors delivered a ton of flavor ranging from tart and fruity berries in the Blueberry Harvest and Winter Solstice Wizard Berry to soft lavender and vanilla in Lavender Bliss. Tropical Dream blessed my palate with a unique blend of pineapple and lime.
In addition to selling his kombucha on draft and in bottles, it was also available on draft in a few locations around town pre-COVID. Post-COVID, Zack is looking to have his kombucha return to the tap handles. Rake Beer Project was one of the locations where his kombucha was on draft. “Our customers really enjoyed having the option in our taproom,” Josh Rake, owner and brewer of Rake Beer Project said. “We can’t wait to serve it again.”
I would highly recommend you grab all the bottles and howlers/growlers you can of this delicious kombucha. Lively Up Kombucha is available across Michigan. At the end of 2020, the brand was picked up by Cherry Capital Foods, so it should start gracing the shelves of more stores!
Cheers!
Disclaimer: Lively Up Kombucha provided Ed with a delicious sampling of kombucha.
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