Boochcraft Becomes First Hard Kombucha Brand to Earn B-Corp Status

Boochcraft, which claims to be America’s favorite hard kombucha brand, recently became a Certified Benefit Corporation (B-Corp), a label awarded to companies that voluntarily meet high social and environmental performance standards. Notably, Boochcraft is the first hard kombucha brand to achieve B-Corp status and will join more than 4,000 B-Corps across more than 70 countries and 150 industries.

“We have been at it for six years now selling hard kombucha and over eight years since we first had the idea to start Boochcraft,” said Adam Hiner, Boochcraft co-founder, in a press release. “Many things have changed since those early days, but one thing remains true: our commitment to doing better for the planet, giving back to the community and doing business in a sustainable way.”

So, how does Boochcraft meet the highest standards for social and environmental performance? For starters, all the fruit scraps used to make Boochcraft are composted, producing over one million pounds of compost annually, and any unused fruit is donated to feed people who are food insecure. To save water during production, the company uses a water-recapture loop.

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Additionally, all scope 1 and scope 2 emissions are tracked and offset by the hard kombucha maker, making Boochcraft’s manufacturing plant a net-zero-emissions facility. The company has also implemented an environmental-management system with the goal of continuing to reduce waste streams.

Aside from positive environmental practices, Boochcraft has established a healthy and financially supportive workplace by committing to pay all employees 25 percent above the set minimum wage. It also launched a 401(k) with matching plans, added eight more days of paid sick/holiday days and started an employee engagement survey.

Founded in 2016, the San Diego, California-based brand ignited a brand-new industry of better-for-you alcoholic beverages in the form of hard kombucha. The company uses whole, organic fruits in-house at its “Boochery” in Chula Vista, California, to create a gluten-free, unpasteurized, vegan alcoholic drink with seven percent alcohol by volume (ABV).

Boochcraft became a pioneer in the now booming hard kombucha market as consumers began stepping away from hard seltzers in search for a healthier alternative. While kombuchas are relatively new to US drinkers, the fermented tea has been around for as long as 2,000 years and has been growing in popularity for the last decade. 

Typically made by mixing ingredients like yeast, bacteria, sugar and tea, kombucha is made by letting the mixture rest in a warm environment for a few weeks. While all kombucha contains a small amount of alcohol, hard kombucha generally adds in a few extra weeks of fermentation, as well as different amounts of added sugar and different yeast, for an ABV of between four and seven percent.

The global hard kombucha market reached $55.45 million in 2018 and is expected to reach over $1 billion by 2026, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of over 42 percent. Not to mention, sales of kombucha represented ten percent of all refreshment beverage sales in 2018, with sales up 21 percent from the previous year. While Boochcraft is a leader in the market, its competitors include June Shine, Kombrewcha and Wild Tonic.