Kombucha; it's the drink that we all love to hate and hate to love to an extent. Some brands are better than others, while other brands are taking a twist on kombucha and are making it hard... not hard to get, but hard in terms of possessing actual alcoholic content in their products. If you'd like to know more about the latter (which I don't blame you for), then meet JuneShine; a hard kombucha company.
What's JuneShine?
In short, JuneShine is an organic, sustainable, kombucha that’s alcoholic (6% ABV; alcohol by volume) that's fermented twice before being passed off to consumers like us; once with their house SCOBY (symbiotic culture of yeast and bacteria) to create a clean kombucha base, followed by a traditional alcoholic fermentation. JuneShine got their start back in 2018 right out of San Diego, California, which wasn't that long ago, folks. The purpose of the company is to be able to keep brewing honest alcohol for a healthier planet. While a variety of flavors are on draft in its tasting rooms, the company currently distributes six flavors in both cans and draft (Blood Orange Mint, Honey Ginger Lemon, Midnight Painkiller, Acai Berry, Rosé and its latest flavor, Hopical Citrus). JuneShine is currently available in California, Oregon, Seattle, Austin, NYC and Hawaii and is soon to be Chicago, Boston, Phoenix and Las Vegas.
What else is there to know?
In their products, JuneShine utilizes Jun Kombucha: It’s smoother and less harsh than the kombucha you’re probably used to drinking because it’s made with green tea and honey, not with black tea and sugar. As I've mentioned earlier, the ingredients are real and organic; JuneShine doesn't put any bad stuff in their kombucha. It’s completely organic, and is only green tea, honey, cane sugar, Jun kombucha, with spices and juices for flavor. That’s it. No additives, no preservatives, no ‘natural’ flavors, no coloring, no rice syrup, no corn syrup. Additionally, sustainability is built into JuneShine's business model. JuneShine donates 1% of their sales to 1% For the Planet, and every day, they make choices that support the environment. JuneShine use sustainable packaging, they print on recycled materials that they up-cycled an old brewery, and they treat the water they use before it goes back into the wastewater system. While they’re not perfect, they're doing their very best to make every choice one that’s better for our planet.
The idea for JuneShine came about when former college roommates and surfers, Greg Serrao (Co-Founder and CEO) and Forrest Dein (Co-Founder and CCO) dabbled in San Diego’s world-class craft beer scene, coupled with their increasing interest in living healthy lifestyles, began to question why there was a sustainable, transparent option in nearly every consumer grocery category, except for alcohol. They asked, “Why is it that we know so much about the food we eat, but so little about the alcohol we drink?” Frustrated by the lack of honest transparent alcohol brands that could cater to their healthy, active lifestyles, Greg and Forrest decided to make their own that they could feel good about drinking. Being kombucha fans, they set out to make the healthiest and highest quality alcoholic jun kombucha they possibly could. The result? JuneShine. Amazing.
See, I told you that no two kombucha are the exact same; so the next time that you pick up a bottle of kombucha, you might as well start day drinking with JuneShine by your side.