Kombucha brewed with honey, instead of cane sugar? Raw, Hawaiian honey? Yes, it can be done! With a scoby that originated in Tibet, this beautiful, bubbly elixir is better known as Jun and commonly referred to as the “Champagne of Kombucha”. Jun encompasses similar health benefits to the general Kombucha, such as high probiotic counts, B vitamins and an alkalizing nature. Due to the presence of honey, it has a much higher nutritional profile than the common cane sugar variety, and a well-rounded flavor that is not too sweet and not too sour. We bump it up a notch with the use of organic green tea, delivering you a highly antioxidant beverage. We also offer a unique flavor profile different from the rest- such as Chocolate Rose Chaga, Palo Santo, Orange Cream Soda, Papaya Spice, and Naked. We have a variety of seasonal flavors we serve on tap, like Mango & Kaffir Lime, Jackfruit, and Blackberry Sage with berries we harvested on the majestic slopes of our very own volcano, Haleakala.
Aloha! My name is Taryn Leigh, and approximately a year and a half ago, I set forth on this exciting endeavor; raising awareness, educating, and offering a unique beverage created with the finest organic local ingredients and a lot of love. I focused on gifting to friends & family and catered quite a few events as I got my branding and logo in place. About six months ago I was blessed to be accepted into our bustling local Upcountry Farmer’s Market where I get to connect directly to members of our beautiful community… my favorite part! Because of this, the product gained great exposure and grew rather quickly. There is so much enthusiasm that we now sell out of our product every single weekend at market and I find myself adding more and more kegs to the point where my little Jun buggy, a tiny Honda Fit, has finally reached its capacity at six kegs per market.
We have been receiving a multitude of calls from potential accounts in request to carry our product on tap. And we continually get asked the question about when our product will be in bottles and on the shelves, as our devoted marketeers are experiencing withdrawal. Who wants to wait a whole entire week to get their fix? I am lucky that I have my very own fridge of kegged Jun to enjoy at the flick of a wrist and a push of a lever!
Needless to say we find it high-time to get this beautiful elixir in a bottle. With that said, our primary focus is on bottling. We are in need of funding which will make it possible to purchase a bottling machine and bottles. After much research I found the perfect bottles at the perfect price, yet shipping to the island proves to be very expensive. We are seeking funding in order to make an initial order, and plan on cycling all funds back into the business in order to afford subsequent shipments. I haven’t yet paid myself in this endeavor, and am willing to hold out a little longer in order to get this growing company off the ground!
We also need a large 55 gallon vat of local honey in order to meet the demand. This will ensure the cost remains at a level where we avoid a ridiculously high price point on the shelves. And we need extra kegs and kegging equipment in order to supply those establishments requesting our product on tap. Potential accounts are waiting in the wings and we are ready to fly!
If we end up exceeding our goal, we plan on putting our pretty little Jun scobies in a nicely sealed package, along with directions, so that the world can brew Jun right in it’s very own kitchen. We have plans to offer our scobies through Amazon.com in the near future. We currently brew our product in a lovely community-oriented commissary kitchen; however, the ideal vision would be to build out a private brewery for our exclusive use as we expand. Any extra funding will be funneled towards these goals. But first things first- let’s bottle!
I sincerely hope that we end up on a shelf near you so that everyone can enjoy this taste of Aloha, our love, in a bottle…
We feel so very lucky to have the undying support of our community and we thank you in advance for your generous donations. Without you, we would not be here! As a way to give back, we donate a portion of our profits to the Honey Bee Health Coalition in support of beehive collapse research. With your help, I sincerely believe that we can make this world an even better place to bee! Bee happy, Bee well, Bee free!
A deep, warm mahalo to every single one of you.
