l o c a l b u s i n e s s
Kombucha Tribe b y L i e s e l S c h m i d t
their ingredients. “We seek out only the best, organic and environmentally friendly ingredients for our brew. Since we are USDA certified organic, we are always keeping up with our suppliers to be sure they are staying up to date on their certifications and providing us with exclusively organic ingredients.” They have an extensive list of flavors, including Strawberry Guava, Blackberry Lavender, Ginger Lime, Blueberry Lemon, Citrus CBD, and Orange Ginger CBD; and feature special seasonal flavors depending on what fruits are in season and available at the farm- ers markets. Their recently featured Halloween- inspired kombucha, for instance, was flavored with lemon, lime, and activated charcoal. “There is just enough charcoal in it to turn it black and spooky, but a small enough amount to still get the benefits from the probiot- ics and B-vitamins,” Stephen explains. Still, as interesting as they can get, the most popular flavors are among the more tame: Strawberry Guava, Blackberry Lavender, and—interestingly—their CBD flavors. Keeping it local, NOLI South products are sold at over 60 different locations from Pensacola to Tallahassee. They also set up on Saturdays at the Palafox Market in Pensacola and the Market in Seaside, as well as every Sunday in Rosemary Beach. As much success as they’ve had with the bottles, they see a change-up in their future. “Our current plan that we are executing in the near future is canning our kombucha,” Stephen says. “Cans are more sustainable than bottles, and we think using them for our little beach towns makes perfect sense. With our transition to cans, we will be able to ship our kombucha to nearby states. We also have hopes to open a taproom at some point, maybe in a little airstream or something groovy.” Owning a business and getting it into the black— and keeping it that way—is, of course, a rollercoaster that sometimes makes you question yourself. But the Koles have found their bliss in their business and the way it has freed them for what is most important to them. “One of the things we love most about the business is that we get to spend a lot of time with the kids and that we can show them what hard work looks like by having them participate in our kombucha brewing journey,” says Stephen. “Whether it’s during production week at the brewery or at the farmers market on the weekend, you can always find our kids with us.”
Stephen Kole and his daughters
I f you’re like most people, you’ve been to the grocery store, the health market, or even just a health food café and noticed the trend that has exploded with kombucha over the past few years. And again, if you’re like most people, you’ve wondered what the heck it is and why it’s so popular. A fermented, lightly effervescent, sweetened black or green tea drink, kombucha is touted for health benefits. And while the process for making it may seem strange, companies across the globe are cashing in on their own bottled brew of the stuff—and people are drinking it up. For Summer and Stephen Kole, brewing kombucha themselves started out as a hobby as well as a way to feed their food-sensitive daughter, Noli. “As an exclusively breastfed infant, she was having a hard time keeping her milk down,” Stephen explains. “Upon realizing it was the food Summer was eating, we made tremendous cuts in our diets. When Noli hit about the age to start eating food, we decided to try giving her a small daily dose of our kombucha. We then re-introduced those foods to her through breastmilk, and we were amazed to find that she
was no longer reacting. This really opened our eyes to the raw power of kombucha and a healthy gut flora.”
CBD
Naturally, the success they had with Noli sparked an idea to start a company and provided the impetus for Stephen to leave his job as the manager of Finn’s Island Style Grub in Panama City Beach, while Summer left waitressing on 30-A. And, of course, they named the company NOLI South. “Noli was one of the main reasons we started seeing the major health benefits of kombucha, so we thought it felt right to name it after her, our firstborn daughter,” says Stephen. “She also loves kombucha more than anybody we know and is our number one taste tester for new flavors.” Since 2016, NOLI South has been offering bottled kombucha in creative flavor combos that have a smooth taste, making them in small batches that allow for greater control of quality and consistency. And while their perfectionism is one of the secrets to their success, so are
For more information, visit nolisouth.com.
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