Untapped market: 203 Kombucha to open first kombuchery in Valley in February

PALMER— A new shop, 203 Kombucha, is gearing up to open its doors in downtown Palmer February, making it the first kombuchery in the Valley. Owner David Boortz said he’s excited to open up the draft to an untapped market.

“I want it to be a healthy and fun community hangout,” Boortz said.

Kombucha is a fermented tea drink made from adding bacteria and yeast cultures to sugar and tea. Kombucha can come in a plethora of flavors. The ancient drink has surged in popularity in recent years due to its reputation as the new healthy beverage of choice.

Last year, SPINS, a retail consumer insights provider, found that U.S. retail sales of kombucha grew substantially in 2017, increasing by 37.4 percent, according to data found on the New Hope Network website.

This growing kombucha trend could mean that Boortz found the right place and the right time to open up a kombuchery in the Valley. He said that kombucha serves as an effective probiotic along with other potential health benefits. More than that, he said it’s a flavorsome alternative to other sweet drinks like soda.

“It helps get your gut going. And, it’s tasty. That’s a good enough reason right there,” Boortz said.

On Monday, Boortz busily attended to his shop’s construction. The store is located in the right half of the same building where the Yak youth center is moving from. The right side of the building has been vacant for several years. The last business to operate from the side was an auto shop. Looking across the street where the new Yak will be, Boortz wistfully envisioned the kids drinking more kombucha than soda or other sugary drinks.

“I want to serve the community and I need help from the community to shape it,” Boortz said.

The business actually started a year ago but as a wholesale warehouse near the Alaska State Fairgrounds. Boortz said that he’s partnered with numerous businesses across the state, from Soldotna to Fairbanks. Breweries, restaurants, coffee shops, and offices sell his kombucha creations.

He said he had a soft launch for the upcoming kombuchery on Dec. 21, 2018, to gage what the locals thought of his flavors and to calibrate menu items accordingly.

“We put a lot of work into each flavor,” Boortz said.

He said that he wants continuous feedback from community to acclimate his store into Palmer’s culture, using seasonal and local ingredients for a rotating menu. He said there will be about five “flagship” drinks that will stay year round and about five other rotating items.

“I’m really excited about it,” Boortz said.

Boortz said that he’s going see how first year goes, with expansion as the longterm goal. He hopes to eventually expand out of Palmer, across the state and perhaps one day, across America. He said that if he gets to the point of selling his products to the Lower 48, it will be an easy sell because people tend to like the novelty of buying Alaskan made products, lavishing in the exotic far-north.

“People like stuff from Alaska,” Boortz said.

The store will occupy a building with plenty of history, according to the current owner Jeff Johnson. He said that the Hartley family built it in the 1940s. It was originally a Pontiac dealership. It’s also been a Ford dealership and a motorcycle shop. Boortz said that the space was stripped bare when he started so he’s been taking advice from locals while creating what he sees in his head.

Boortz moved to Alaska in 2017 and despite being a fresh Alaskan transplant, he quickly took to Palmer history and Alaskan history. He said that he’s utilized historic pieces of Alaska during construction, from old barn doors from the Butte to metal trusses retired from the 4th Avenue Theater in Anchorage. He said that he wanted to “build a little history into this place.”

“It’s a different kind of place,” Boortz said.

Boortz noted that if 203 Kombucha does start expanding, he is going to stay true to its Palmer origins. He said that the name itself comes from the city’s colonial history, referencing the original 203 colonists who made the land livable and laid down the groundwork for future generations. He seemed eager to etch his own chapter into the town’s history books.

“I want to be a permanent fixture in Palmer,” Boortz said.

Boortz started brewing kombucha down in California after being inspired by his friends’ home brews. He said that crafting kombucha concoctions is far more common in the Lower 48, particularly places like California, be it at home or in a store.

“It’s sort of novel up here,” Boortz said.

Boortz is using drafting equipment in his kombuchery that’s similar to what beer brewers use. With Kombucha on tap, he has dozens of metal kegs filled with fermented tea. He said that his kegging model is becoming more common than simply bottling or canning kombucha. He said that using kegs is more sustainable plus, “It’s more fun to drink from the tap.”

“I wanted to be the person to hand the kombucha to the customer,” Boortz said.

Boortz said that he came to Alaska to escape his corporate job. He said that he spent over a decade as a nuclear engineer in San Luis Obispo, California. He said that he wanted a break from the humdrum and a “creative break.”

He said that he started driving around the country with his dog and eventually ended up in Alaska. He said that he was only going to check it out but like many before him, was struck by its natural beauty and adventurous lifestyle that’s less crowded than the Lower 48. He settled his roots here.

“It was so pretty up here and I couldn’t find a reason to leave,” Boortz said.

Boortz noted that he was glad that he frugally saved up his money over the years during his previous career. He said all the time invested made his dream of becoming a kombucha business owner possible. He said that he is throwing everything he has into this enterprise, hoping to create something that lasts.

“I’m kind of banking everything I’ve got in this business… It’s kind of an exciting bet to myself,” Boortz said.

Boortz currently resides in a dry cabin in Sutton. He said that he likes having a balance between remoteness and quiet and access to the quaint and active city life. He said that he’s had time to relax and now he’s ready to go “full force” establishing his business in the supportive community of Palmer.

“I think Palmer is the prettiest place around… It’s big enough but not too big. Palmer felt like the right place to open up for business,” Boortz said.

Boortz said that he wants to hold events and activities on a regular basis, striving to have something happening at least once week. These ideas include things like movie nights, game nights, poetry readings and open mics.

Boortz noted that he’s going to sharpen his espresso skills and will eventually open earlier with coffee options. He said that specialty toast items made from local bakers is also coming down the pike, offering cinnamon sugar, avocado, local jams and savory toasts.

Boortz said that he also plans to have an Art Wall to showcase local talent and promote further appreciation for art itself. He said that he plans to rotate through different featured artist will do live demonstrations, starting a project of their choice and create their works near the customers until it’s complete. Once the project is done, it will be auctioned off. He said that he also wants to offer stipend pay to the featured artists.

“I think it’s important to pay artists to make art,” Boortz said.

Boortz thinks this Art Wall concept will help elevate the value of art in the public’s eye by showing how much work goes into a particular piece so hopefully that $200 or more price tag makes more sense to people who would otherwise shrug it off as “too expensive.”

Currently, a jazz cat playing the saxophone on skateboard is hanging on the Art Wall. He bought the painting from local artist Rebekah Laggis as a custom order.

For more information call Boortz at 805-234-7915.

Contact Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman reporter Jacob Mann at jacob.mann@frontiersman.com