Bringing the Booch

For years, Jeanette Macias had been experiencing digestive issues. She didn’t like taking probiotics and was looking for alternatives when she found kombucha, a fermented tea drink known to help aid digestion and boost immunity. Jeanette began drinking it regularly, but then one day her wife, Lyz, burst her booch bubble.

“We began looking at the labels on these bottles of kombucha, and we discovered it’s full of sugar and processed ingredients. It’s supposed to be healthy,” Jeanette explained.

They recognized the benefits of the drink and decided to make their own healthier version in small batches. They shared it with family and friends, and Jeanette created an Instagram account to help share more information about what they were doing. Their brews took off, and they began selling kombucha at the SLU Saturday Market in 2019.

Seeking Kombucha’s first brick and mortar location is now open at 1091 Thomas Street in South Lake Union. The couple lovingly refers to the spot as their fermentation station. It features 12 different taps with frequently rotating flavors.

Jeanette and Lyz’s vision for Seeking Kombucha goes beyond a place to get a healthy drink—they are hoping to build a safe space for anyone who needs it.

“To us, our community is like a SCOBY — symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast. Molded together from its surrounding environment, it creates a protection and barrier to uplift and create growth. That’s what we want to provide for our community by not only offering gut-healthy drinks but a safe community space to learn and grow together,” Jeanette said.

The couple aims to use their space as an education hub, too. They are expecting to offer classes on kombucha and fermentation, business ownership, and more.

If you’ve never tried kombucha, this new spot in SLU is the place to do it. To Lyz, the best way to introduce customers who are new to the drink has been with fun flavor combinations and mocktails. One of the couple’s favorites is the “This is Us,” a combination of prickly pear syrup (Jeanette is Latinx) and calamansi limes (Lyz is Filipinx).

Follow Seeking Kombucha on Instagram and Facebook to learn more about their business, get the scoop on new flavors, and find events and classes.