Ponto Eko and K-Happy are kombucha brands from Minas Gerais looking to expand | Photo: Ponto Eko and K-Happy/Disclosure
On a trip to Hawaii, businessman José Felipe Carneiro was introduced to a fermented and carbonated drink that promised to be natural and improve bowel function. He didn’t like it at first, but it ended up becoming his focus and another path for the state’s beverage industry, after coffee and canned drinks. The kombucha.
With ancient origins in China, kombucha is a fizzy, sweet tea-based drink with dozens of beneficial bacteria in its composition. It goes through a fermentation process in which the most diverse flavors can be added. There are those who prepare it at home, but kombucha is part of a billion-dollar industrial market, which is expected to reach US$4.26 billion globally by 2028, according to a report released by the Online Congress of Management, Education and Health Promotion (Convibra ).
Carneiro is the grandson of the founder of the Wäls brewery, one of the pioneers in the craft beer sector in Minas Gerais, which was later sold to Ambev. Today, he is CEO of K-Happy, a packaged kombucha brand that is not only in Minas Gerais but also reaches other states. “There are more than 30 flavors. It was born to be a refreshing drink and a symbol of health. But there are still many people who have never heard of it”, describes the company’s head of marketing, Tatiana Fontes.
The company’s factory is in Belo Horizonte and, today, in addition to K-Happy kombucha, it produces an alcoholic drink also based on tea and fruits, Lowka — the production of the two brands, combined, is around 100 thousand units a month. In addition, it produces for supermarket chains to package their own brands. “The one in Verdemar is ours, the one in Zona Sul (in Rio) and Pão de Açúcar too”, lists Fontes.
Newer on the market is Ponto Eko, created by the couple Veruska Gontijo and Marcelo Ferreira in Macacos, in the metropolitan region of Belo Horizonte. They moved to the city in search of a life more connected to nature, and their home production of kombucha was slowly converted into industrial manufacturing. Today, Ponto Eko is sold in cans in six flavors, such as passion fruit with lemongrass and hibiscus with ginger.
“The can says ‘take it with you in your bag to the gym’, it’s something that can be carried. It has a more modern appeal, young people are very captured by the can. We found more young people awake and with a healthy vibe. It is a movement that is here to stay”, reflects Veruska. Ponto Eko’s production is initial, 300 to 400 liters per month, and the projection is to reach 1,500 liters per month in one year.
Looking for expansion
With an eye on this brand expansion movement, technical consultant for the beverage market Thiago Cunha created Labkom, a consultancy startup for kombucha producers. He assesses that the biggest barrier to market expansion is cost. Cunha explains that the largest kombucha factories produce 5,000 to 10,000 liters per day, due to the time needed to ferment the drink. “The soda industry bottles this by the hour,” he says.
This is reflected in the price of the drink, which is still relatively high, continues the consultant: “today, the main challenge facing kombucha is the sales price. It is still a very expensive product, compared to 355 ml soda. A kombucha today costs two to three times more than a soda”
For him, Minas is an ideal laboratory for the development of the kombucha market nationally. “Minas is a very difficult market for launches. It is a very traditional market. Minas Gerais people are suspicious, so it takes a while to ‘become’ a new product in Minas Gerais. Food companies, in general, always launch new products on the Minas Gerais market, to check adherence and adherence, and whether it is worth launching on a national scale”, he says.
And he concludes: “despite all this difficulty with the Minas Gerais market, kombucha has been well accepted and well tolerated in Minas. Today, in greater BH, we have around eight brands of artisanal kombucha, duly regulated by the Ministry of Agriculture and which are experiencing a boom in sales. And we have around 30 very small brands that are still testing the market and looking for resources to invest and expand their productions. For a market as traditional as Minas, talking about around 40 brands is a good thing. expressive”.
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