LOCAL Houston | The City Guide FEBRUARY 2016 | Page 17

KICKIN’ KOMBUCHA Kombucha is still going strong. Kickin’ Kombucha, specifically, is bottled and produced right here in Houston. One of the founders, ROBERT LOPEZ, was introduced to the sea monkey-looking liquid back in 2005 while training Brazilian Jiu Jitsu at Urban Jungle Self-Defense, but it was a broken leg in 2010 that left him in need of a hobby. That hobby soon turned into an abundance of kombucha so he started sharing it with friends at the gym. JOHN ERMIS was one such friend who also became a fan of the stuff; in no time, their two best friends, ANDI COOPER and CARLOS PEREZ, came on board and this locally concocted kombucha has been kickin’ ass since December 2010. Batches are still kept small six years later with max 6,000 hand-bottled per run. Last year 250,000 bottles of Kickin’ Kombucha were sold. What does 2016 hold for the local brand? Robert shares, “We are working on new flavors and an expansion of our keg program. We are also hopeful to establish greater production to offer Kickin' at more retail locations across Greater Houston.” www.kickinkombucha.com february 16 | L O C A L 17