Business is booming for Floko Kombucha. You might be surprised to hear this. Perhaps you don’t even recognize the name. Well, any regular patron of the Boyce Farmers Market would recognize them as Flourish Kombucha. Recently, during an expansion, they’ve changed their name to Floko Kombucha.
After discovering that copyright was placed on beverages featuring their previous brand name (Flourish), owner Danielle Black and her business partner Ryan Hourihan set to work to find a new name.
“After a couple weeks of brainstorming and pitching ideas back and forth, we concluded that Floko was the way to go,” said Black and Hourihan. They responded to the new name because it was quick, catchy, and would easily relate to the rest of their branding.
For those who don’t know, kombucha is a beverage produced by fermenting sweetened teas with a living bacterial culture, called SCOBY (symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast). The drink is flavoured with a variety of juices and is naturally carbonated via the fermentation process.
Floko’s expansion comes at a time where many small businesses are being forced to shut down due to losses incurred during the COVID-19 pandemic. Floko has not escaped the economic hardships that came with the pandemic. Though they suffered steady losses across 2020, they decided that it was the perfect time to take calculated risks and move toward expanding.
“We have some rather dedicated patrons who kept us afloat,” said Black and Hourihan. The customers at the Boyce Farmers Market have been integral to their business. During their expansion, Floko began distributing their products with The Cap, Milltown Roasters, Height’s Cold Brew Coffee, and the 540 North.
Black was inspired to start the business after attending a fermentation workshop in 2016.
“I’ve always had an inclination towards clean healthy products, but kombucha certainly was not on my radar as a career path until it started unfolding ahead of me,” said Black. Now in 2021, Floko has expanded to be able to meet ten times the growth they expect, staying ahead and preparing for any opportunities that come their way.
“That way we can always plan a few steps ahead, staying quality focused while also swinging for the fences,” said Black and Hourihan.
Across the world, fermented products saw an increase in popularity during the pandemic, with many people forced to stay at home deciding to try their hand as a hobby. Floko believes this cultural interest is here to stay and plans to facilitate this growing interest by teaching workshops and helping the community get involved.
“The more people spend time at home, the more people will be recreationally fermenting things,” said Black and Hourihan.
On May 29, Floko is launching their new line of canned Kombucha. They are hosting a launch party at Fredericton’s Odell Park, and having an after-party at The Cap.
Check out Floko Kombucha on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FlokoKombucha/
Stay tuned for announcements of workshops and community activities.