After finishing their business degrees, moving to Canada and home again and starting two previous business ventures, their first batch of Kombucha was brewed in 2017 and they have not looked back since.
On a mission to bring more Kombucha into the world, life long friends Keith and Emmett started on a Journey in 2017 to create a Kombucha which is “good on the gut, good to the planet and good on the palate” – ticking all the boxes in our opinion!
All about Kombucha won Gold for their ‘Organic Raspberry’ in the non alcoholic drinks- Fermented category as well as winning the Rogha na Gaeltachta Award for 2024.
At Blas, the awards are based on blind tasting. Our judges review solely on the food and drink they are tasting. They don’t know who has made it or where it is coming from. This blind element is a key part of our judging to allow a level playing field for all. However once the judging is done we love nothing more than learning all about the producers just like Keith & Emmett from All about Kombucha
When & why did you start your business?
We started way back when, in ‘17. A simpler time, an easier time.. the only downside was that there wasn’t enough Kombucha in the world!
We got a taste for the fermented tea over in Vancouver that followed us back home. It was a thirst that we could not shake off. We followed our guts (pun intended) and began our journey of All About Kombucha.
Who is your food inspiration?
My mother (aka Liz Loftus). She cooked everything from scratch. I had no idea how high my mothers standards were until I used to go over to people’s houses for dinner. I remember as a child getting so excited by my friend telling me that her dad made the best chilli con carne in the world. I could not wait. My legs were kicking and mouth salivating at the kitchen table waiting.. waiting for this meal. And then it brought a tear to my eye after I tasted it, and not a good tear. It tasted like..NOTHING!
I always strive to make the ordinary taste extraordinary. I still haven’t figured out if it’s a blessing or a curse. So thanks mom x
What do you love about your job?
I don’t get the ‘Sunday scaries’. People tell me they feel dread about their weekend ending. Sometimes I can’t wait for it to end! The buzz we have at All About HQ is brilliant. We’re a close knit team working together on big projects making our wildest aspirations come to life. The work is far from easy but it’s satisfying. We work as a team, eat as a team and laugh as a team. There’s something special about what happens behind the scenes at All About Kombucha and I put that down to the energy that goes into the product behind the scenes.
What is your typical day?
Let us not forget we’re in Winter so my day routine bends with the seasons.
It’s dark when I get up and dark when I go to bed so the energy levels take a hit for sure!
I exercise before work and *try* to keep off technology before I go into work. That clears my head and gives me a steady foundation for the day.
As we’re a team of 10 there are a lot of check ins and meetings to keep everything moving in the right direction.
The day moves in projects and strategies, brainstorming and creating plans to move along the tasks. No day is the same!
Where do your ingredients come from?
As we’re organic our options are limited.
We work with Beachlawn organics for whatever fruits and vegetables we can get off them but we don’t have the climate for tea here.
The Netherlands is the hub of Organic produce for the EU and we source a lot of our raw ingredients from them. Our tea comes from the ancient lands of India and Vietnam. Every can of Kombucha you get is fairly well traveled.
Tell us about the people you work with?
They’re everything. The people we work with are everything to All About!
We’ve got myself (Keith) and Emmett, Anna and Emma, Lorna and Audrey, James and Tessa, Luke and Thelma.
It’s a wild eclectic crew of characters who come together to work hard and make Booch. I feel like they all care for the product and genuinely care about one another.
Who would we be and where would we be without them?!
What 3 words would you use to describe yourself/your business?
Fun, innovative and hard working.
Has there been one single moment which has changed how you look at your business?
Doubling down on your strengths and becoming very aware of your weaknesses.
You have to play to your strengths for obvious reasons as that’s what makes you unique. You need to be aware of your weaknesses because that’s where you’ll fail. A ‘successful business’ is a series of symbiotic processes and relationships all working together for the greater good. You as a person can only do so much but you as a leader can 10x your results by empowering your people and paving the way.
