Fans of Toledo-made kombucha may notice something new on labels: Award winner.
Boochy Mama's Probiotic Tonic’s Pomona Divine kombucha was a 2021 Good Food Awards winner, a feather in the cap of the small business at 130 10th St. First released in 2019, Pomona Divine includes damiana, rose, and pear juice, adding a smoothness and sweetness to the drink, owner and founder Stacy Jurich said.
“I've drank hundreds of different kombuchas, and I know it's unique to the kombucha market,” she said.
The Good Food Awards highlights domestically produced foods and beverages that are “tasty, authentic and responsible.” The 219 winners were announced late last week via a virtual ceremony. Boochy Mama’s was one of only three Ohio companies to receive a 2021 award.
“By fermenting, curing, and crafting truly nourishing food, you create healthy communities better able to face both once in a century pathogens and the strains of everyday life,” said Good Food Awards Founder Sarah Weiner said at the event “It wouldn’t be long until good food becomes mainstream. Until then, you are the blueprint for this change.”
Ms. Jurich started Boochy Mama’s in 2015 after years as a homebrewer who mostly distributed to family and friends. Now, the company brews about 4,500 gallons of kombucha in non-coronavirus years — the pandemic has hurt the business, just as it has many others.
The company mostly sells its products in the Toledo and Ann Arbor areas, Ms. Jurich said, and she wants growth to be organic and sustainable. Boochy Mama’s, for instance, distributes its own products instead of using a distributor. That doesn’t mean they won’t sell in large stores, however, as the company recently started selling kombucha in local Whole Foods.
Boochy Mama’s buys its sugar for drinks in bulk from the Phoenix Earth Co-Op, and organic tea from a family-owned business on the East Coast. Herbs are also organic, and the company is looking at future uses of locally made herbs.
It can be hard for small business owners to take the time to self congratulate, Ms. Jurich said, but she said the Good Food Awards were an opportunity to recognize her own accomplishments.
"It’s the first time in five years that I feel like I've been able to take a breath and give myself a high five and feel good about that."
Boochy Mama’s products can be purchased at the store from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Thursday and Saturday. To find one of the about three dozen other locations that sell its kombucha, visit www.boochymama.com/wheretobuy.
First Published January 27, 2021, 12:30 p.m.
