Geoff's NC-Sourced Jun Kombucha
Donation protected
Hey everyone, my name is Geoff and I’m the owner of Bee’lixir. I have been fermenting a variety of foods and beverages since grad school where I studied bioprocess engineering (fermentation).
Since then I have experimented with a variety of fermented foods and beverages such as beer, cider, wine, sourdough, sauerkraut, kimchi, milk kefir, pickles, kombucha and more.
After working for a variety of businesses in North Carolina including a homebrew shop and two different start-ups (one involved with the microbial growth of bricks and the other an e-commerce company focusing on fermented food cultures) I was gently nudged into thinking about putting my passion for fermentation to good use.
This led to the creation of Bee’lixir and many months of tinkering with recipes. I’ve been experimenting with various recipes for Jun kombucha. Jun is a traditional kombucha with origins in central Asia.
One aspect of this transformational process that I feel strongly about is using local honey in every batch. I want to use my knowledge of fermentation to support the honey bee industry, especially as so much of our food supply is dependent on them for pollination.
Additionally, I have recently discovered Yaupon, an herbal tea native to the Southeast (in the US) that is naturally caffeinated. I’m excited to use this for completely regional, locally-sourced kombucha!
I have several recipes ready now. My immediate goal is to work with the Piedmont Food & Agricultural Processing Center in Hillsborough to begin scaling up production of Bee’lixir Jun. I’m also taking my first steps into an online presence for the company. You can learn more about the process of creating Jun and the recipes I’m using at www.beelixir.live . You can also Like the Bee’lixir Facebook page!
What I need now is feedback on which recipes to initially offer and more importantly, your support :)
Initial expenses for business insurance and facility rental requires some capital to get the ball rolling. Honey and the other ingredients will cost about $60 per 5 gallons of Jun that I make. I would like to make Bee’lixir as affordable as possible. In order to do that I’ll need to secure business insurance, apply for and pay for facility rental, and buy supplies in larger quantities.
If you’d like to contribute, I’m seeking to raise $5,000 to cover my initial costs for scaling up production and for some early marketing, like Facebook ads, to help spread the word.
As a way to say thank you – anyone who donates $25 or more will be invited to a taste testing in Raleigh, NC to determine which flavors I’ll be offering first. I’ll send you more information once the location and time are set.
Anyone donating a $50 or more will also get a really sweet pint glass as a thank-you gift.
If you’re a crazy person and want to give me $1,000, I’ll give you the additional honor of working with me to develop and name one of our future flavors. I’ll even include a shout-out to you on the bottle :)
Thank you all so much for your love and support!
-Geoff
Since then I have experimented with a variety of fermented foods and beverages such as beer, cider, wine, sourdough, sauerkraut, kimchi, milk kefir, pickles, kombucha and more.
After working for a variety of businesses in North Carolina including a homebrew shop and two different start-ups (one involved with the microbial growth of bricks and the other an e-commerce company focusing on fermented food cultures) I was gently nudged into thinking about putting my passion for fermentation to good use.
This led to the creation of Bee’lixir and many months of tinkering with recipes. I’ve been experimenting with various recipes for Jun kombucha. Jun is a traditional kombucha with origins in central Asia.
One aspect of this transformational process that I feel strongly about is using local honey in every batch. I want to use my knowledge of fermentation to support the honey bee industry, especially as so much of our food supply is dependent on them for pollination.
Additionally, I have recently discovered Yaupon, an herbal tea native to the Southeast (in the US) that is naturally caffeinated. I’m excited to use this for completely regional, locally-sourced kombucha!
I have several recipes ready now. My immediate goal is to work with the Piedmont Food & Agricultural Processing Center in Hillsborough to begin scaling up production of Bee’lixir Jun. I’m also taking my first steps into an online presence for the company. You can learn more about the process of creating Jun and the recipes I’m using at www.beelixir.live . You can also Like the Bee’lixir Facebook page!
What I need now is feedback on which recipes to initially offer and more importantly, your support :)
Initial expenses for business insurance and facility rental requires some capital to get the ball rolling. Honey and the other ingredients will cost about $60 per 5 gallons of Jun that I make. I would like to make Bee’lixir as affordable as possible. In order to do that I’ll need to secure business insurance, apply for and pay for facility rental, and buy supplies in larger quantities.
If you’d like to contribute, I’m seeking to raise $5,000 to cover my initial costs for scaling up production and for some early marketing, like Facebook ads, to help spread the word.
As a way to say thank you – anyone who donates $25 or more will be invited to a taste testing in Raleigh, NC to determine which flavors I’ll be offering first. I’ll send you more information once the location and time are set.
Anyone donating a $50 or more will also get a really sweet pint glass as a thank-you gift.
If you’re a crazy person and want to give me $1,000, I’ll give you the additional honor of working with me to develop and name one of our future flavors. I’ll even include a shout-out to you on the bottle :)
Thank you all so much for your love and support!
-Geoff
Organizer
Geoff Dobhran Smith
Organizer
Raleigh, NC
