In 2019 House Kombucha partnered with the People's Cafe in Berkeley to be House Kombucha's official taproom. Collaborating with People's Cafe was fun and exciting. The cafe was always busy and I was inspired by the Yemeni family that owned the cafe. I connected to their traditional dishes that they truly loved. However theses were not regularly offered to customers due to the lack of a proper hood in the cafe. When Covid hit we almost breathed a sigh of relief because it forced us to re-think our purpose. Our official restaurant is Belladi Kitchen is set to break ground this year in the beautiful Modera Apartment building (378 Embarcadero West) in Jack London Square. Belladi means "my country" and signifies...
History: Our Founder's Story [In her words, circa 2009] Hi, I'm Rana, the owner, operator and founder of House Kombucha. Here's a little history on how this company came to be. thirsty and broke. I started this company during the summer of 2009. I was a new law graduate and had passed the bar (what a breeze!) but the economy was so SLOW, I had to make my own kombucha. I remembered my mom making it when I was growing up and she survived on her homebrewed kombucha, so I figured I could too. It turned out the kombucha liked me as much as I liked it! So I said eff lawyering (oops!). I had no money to...
It's spookier than Halloween lately, and if you read the headlines, the media will magnify conflict and failings and magnify this eerie feeling. In reality, the world is not upside down. Every day people are doing an amazing job adjusting and arising to the needs of our day. My employees have suffered a deep loss in their family due to Covid19 yet they show up in their work with a purpose without fail. I have neither words nor hugs to express my gratitude toward them. Sales have slowed down compared to previous years but we know organic healthy food is essential. Beyond that, our jobs are essential. To dream a dream and hold it even when nothing else holds up is...
Today is a Baha'i Holy Day, Ridvan, which means "paradise". As a Baha'i, I am supposed to take today off, but what is a "day off" when sheltering in place? I am at home on a beautiful day and my son has just learned to read. He reads aloud to little sister so sweetly. But I should be working right? Kombucha sales just tanked. Buyers at our major stores like Whole Foods and Nuggets are scattershot, unable to predict what will run out and when. Will I lose hard earned shelf space to bigger brands because I told my sales guy not to risk exposure by visiting stores during lockdown? I can't tell if that's being a responsible citizen or an irresponsible business owner. I...
