MAI Kombucha II

Based in Porto, MAI Kombucha is a company that produces and sells kombucha, a drink of Chinese origin with more than 2000 years, made through the fermentation of the green tea herb (Camellia sinensis). The consumption of kombucha has been associated with beneficial effects on health of its consumers, namely in the improvement of the intestinal microbiota and of the immune system. This may be due to the presence of B vitamins (B1, B2, B6, B12), vitamin C and probiotics.

MAI Kombucha was conceived by Gonçalo Campos, who had the dream of creating a company that would contribute to the positive transformation of the beverage industry, which was developed without thinking about the health of the planet and the consumer. This is how, in 2020, MAI was born, with the dream of contributing to a world with less soft drinks and more kombuchas, less preservatives and more life, less plastic and more nature, a more natural and less artificial world. The brand was born in Gonçalo's kitchen and, since then, has gone through an intense process of evolution and growth.

MAI Kombucha's mission is to spread the culture of kombucha in Portugal and Spain, through the production and marketing of an authentic drink and the dissemination of knowledge about fermentation for home production. The purpose of the start-up is to inspire positive experiences in people's lives and to be an agent of change in the food industry and in consumer habits.

Once the first phase of the project was completed - developing the brand and the product - a truly living, healthy kombucha, made with organic ingredients and naturally carbonated - a second phase started - based on industrialization and responsible growth while respecting the product principles and quality. 

After their first GoParity campaign, where the promotor raised 9.000€ to purchase a 25 m2 cold room and increase the company's storage capacity, MAI is now looking to raise another 11.000€ to boost production capacity. 

The funds raised through this second campaign will be used to purchase: 

• Six fermenters of 500 liters each, enough to produce over 2000 liters of kombucha per month. 
• An automatic labeler. Currently, all labeling is manually done which slows down the delivery process. The automatic labeler will allow labeling 600 containers per hour (the team is able to do 150 per hour manually).

Currently, production takes place in a 100m2 factory in Leça da Palmeira (Porto Metropolitan Area). The company also rents a small warehouse in Matosinhos. In July 2020, the startup sold 200L of kombuchas. In the same month of the following year, the value increased to 1,500L. 

While the initial projections, for this summer of 2022, were to sell over 3,000 L sold per month, the number has already been surpassed in pre-orders. The brand hopes to break all records during their first summer with reduced covid-19 restrictions for events and festivals.

MAI's Kombucha needs to be stored in the cold as it is a live drink (not pasteurized), with natural fermentation and without industrial techniques that detract from its benefits. After the natural gas is produced inside the bottle, the cold stabilizes the fermentation and maintains its quality and flavor.

Check out the supplier testing the automatic labeler for MAI: