FRESH APPROACH: A Cary company says tasty kombucha isn't an oxymoron.

• Date: 01 October 2023
• Author: Roush, Chris
• Published date: 01 October 2023
• Author: Roush, Chris

After a decade in the fragmented but fast-growing kombucha market, Cary-based Tribucha believes it has found the formula for success.

The company was the first in the industry to use cans and six-packs, ahead of brands owned by Coca-Cola and Pepsi, and its fermentation process creates flavors that are more palatable than its vinegar-tasting counterparts. That's attracted investors, and retailers such as Harris Teeter, Whole Foods and Publix.

"This was the first kombucha I ever tried that actually tasted good and I wanted to drink it," says David Gardner of Cary's Cofounders Capital, an investor in Tribucha. "I was also impressed with the passion of the founders and the quality of the board members," including Jim Geikie, former CEO of Burt's Bees, and Mike Hockenberry, a former Target vice president who is now a partner in Durham-based Disruptive Enterprises.

Tribucha is about to...