Kombucha Dogs: Tea With a Heart
Commercial photographer Michael Faye retired with a twinkle in his eye: he was going to brew tea, instead.
Kombucha Dog, brewed in Los Angeles, does the double duty of perfecting kombucha and raising awareness for rescue dogs that need adoption. “Kombucha is a beverage that has been around for thousands of years,” said Faye. “People argue about the origin — whether it’s from Korea or Russia, but it’s from somewhere in east Asia.”
Basically a fermented tea that has low alcoholic content, he started brewing kombucha for himself, and then his friends. “It’s boiled, then when it’s cooled, we add raw, organic sugar,” said Faye. “The sweetened tea is inoculated with the yeast and bacteria, then allowed to ferment. The yeast and bacteria like the nitrogen in the tea and the minerals in the water. As it ferments, it makes probiotics, acetic acid and gluconic acid, which are fantastic antioxidants. The polyphenols in the tea remain in the kombucha.” When word got around and demand started to rise, Faye began producing kombucha for sale.
The labels are what caught our eye, however. The dogs on the labels are currently in no-kill shelters and are up for adoption. Once the dogs find their forever homes, the design is phased out.
As much as we like to indulge in alcohol consumption for purely hedonistic purposes, here, the craft of fermenting tea is elevated to a nobler cause (and we like that all the more!)
Looking to give a dog its forever home? Check out Kombucha Dog’s website.
