Inspiring Conversations with Amanda Behl of Lucha Kombucha

Today we’d like to introduce you to Amanda Behl.

Hi Amanda, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
My Kombucha journey started primarily for personal health reasons. I had a very low immune system for the rest of my ovarian cancer diagnosis and needed something to help build my immune system. As I consumed Kombucha so frequently, I thought, why not make my own, and the journey of brewing and fermenting began. However, for those who may or may not be familiar with Kombucha, it continues to grow because it is a live culture. I started with a small personal scoby, which eventually grew to 28 scobys and continues to grow. As they produced, it was so much for me to brew, and we thought. Why not share the great things Kombucha did for me with everyone else?

This, in turn, started Lucha Kombucha in 2019 after obtaining all proper business licensing. We launched Lucha Kombucha at the Farmer’s Market. As we grew and introduced people to Kombucha, we realized it might only be for some, so we started making cold brew specialty coffees to Nitro Teas. Our growth continued, and we eventually transitioned to our brick-and-mortar. We subsequently Lucha Kombucha.

Alright, let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what challenges have you had to overcome?
It has been a struggle. As with any small business, you have your ups and downs. However, when COVID hit, we went from selling up to 8 kegs a weekend to not even selling one full keg. We were throwing products away because we needed to ferment.

Let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
Lucha is a locally brewed Kombucha business. It is Latina owned, and I will give you the distinct flavors of my Hispanic culture in every sip. Therefore, most of the drinks we make have a cultural flare, which makes us distinct. For example, one of our top-selling Kombuchas is “The Stunner,” cucumber lime tamarindo. We also name all of our scobys after luchadores. Aside from being known for the many craft beverages, we are known for our Acai and Pitaya bowls.

I am most proud of the creation and meaning behind our logo. I wanted our logo to capture my culture, in addition to the struggle of my health. The Otomi captures the trendy Hispanic print. The “L” in Lucha is the cancer ribbon, while the color of Lucha is the color of cancer I was diagnosed with (ovarian). Lastly, most notably, the two stars near the belt of the logo signify our two daughters because we were not supposed to have kids. I want people to know that everyone has a Lucha story, and this is our story. We believe in our products, we take pride in our products, and we want you, the consumers, to be happy with what you’re getting.

What are your plans for the future?
We would love to continue growing and venture into other opportunities to incorporate additional highly fermented drinks.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @lucha_kombucha