BK & Co. offers a new kombucha experience

Is kombucha the next big thing? According to Beloit Kombucha Company (BK& Co.) founder and CEO Joshua Sizemore, the answer is an emphatic yes.

Today, the kombucha market in the U.S. is at an estimated $3.4 billion and is forecasted to grow to $9.7 billion by 2030. Sizemore, a beverage startup veteran, plans to be part of the surging popularity of this fermented beverage.

“This is my fifth startup. Everything is a little bit easier as you learn from the previous one. I’ve been lucky in my previous ones. I’ve exited three of the four, and the other beverage brand, a ready to drink Moscow mule, is still going,” Sizemore said.

The company’s origin story differs from the founder with a dream story that is so common in the startup ecosystem. The product, a powdered mix that is low in calories and sugar, was developed by a third party. The mix was embraced by investors eager to introduce the product to the growing kombucha market. That is when Sizemore got involved.

For the uninitiated, kombucha is a fermented, fizzy sweetened tea. Juices, spices, and other flavorings are added to the beverage to create unique beverages.

Sizemore admittedly was not a fan.

“I’m a health nut. I work out seven days a week, at least. But I don’t drink kombucha because of the taste. I’ve never had a traditional ready- to-drink kombucha that tasted good, in my opinion. The majority of them also have high sugar and high calories. The gut health, the probiotics. I understand that, and I believe it. But is it worth consuming the additional sugar and additional calories to get that? In my opinion it wasn’t,” he said.

Investors were eager to have the experienced Sizemore on the team. At his request, the team sent him samples of the powdered beverage. He readily admits he was underwhelmed by the initial recipe.

That is, until he tried the blueberry-mint flavored powdered kombucha.

“I tried the blueberry, and I was blown away. I said if we can make more flavors like this then we have something pretty spectacular…  with the same balance, the same flavor profile, the softness, not apple cider vinegary,” he said.

From there, Sizemore was all in.

“I jumped straight in and started rebuilding the strategy, the global market and facelifting the brand. I thought about what we needed to move forward and at what points we needed to raise money, at what points did we need to hit goals of direct-to-consumer revenue and the avenues and then when did we need to go to retail,” he explained.

His plans were derailed by production problems. Beloit Kombucha mix finally hit the market in mid-April 2023.

“We finally launched on Amazon exclusively and it’s been great. We’ve doubled every month. 100% growth month over month, which is great,” he said. The company is in the process of expanding online sales by bringing in additional digital partners. Sizemore has a strategic plan based on geography to roll out the mixes to the retail market.

Sizemore anticipates that by the end of the year the product line will be expanded to include berry-hibiscus, green apple, and lemon. And he hasn’t given up on reducing sugar in the mixes. “Right now, we’re at two grams of sugar,” he said. “I think we could get it to zero sugar and that’ll be a huge win for us- as long as the flavor is the same.”

BK & Co. raised $800,000 from an investment group led by Grey Collar Ventures and included Battle Born Ventures and Milwaukee-based gener8tor. Sizemore said the company plans to do additional fundraising to meet its scaling needs.

To learn more about BK & Co. powdered kombucha manufactured in Beloit, connect with the company here.