I look forward to hosting these amazing entrepreneurs in Milwaukee and connecting them to BREW partners across the region and around the world.” “The program fosters the next generation of water tech innovators and connects them with the resources they need to advance their ideas. “The BREW Accelerator program is a critical contributor to The Water Council’s economic impact,” said Steve Glynn, director of innovation at The Water Council. Startups selected with commercialization potential are connected to funding, hands-on business training, space in Milwaukee’s Global Water Center, executive level mentors and corporate R&D resources.

The BREW (Business – Research – Entrepreneurship – in Water) is the world’s leading freshwater seed accelerator with a focus on innovative startups that address global water challenges. The stores then asked to stock the product, which inspired Danek and Mitchell to start bottling their kombucha, which had previously only been in jars.The Water Council announced the sixth round of winners for the BREW Accelerator and the third round of winners for the BREW Corporate Accelerator powered by A. They also put up flyers in stores, and offered the owners some kombucha to try. Danek and Mitchell sent out an email offering door-to-door delivery of kombucha. The idea was to help people feel better.' 'We thought it was the kombucha that was making us feel so good and laughing all the time. We should be bummed like everybody else,'' Danek recalls. 'We're like, 'How come we're so stoked? We shouldn't be stoked. Related: Did the Staff at Entrepreneur Feel the Vibes of This Kombucha Brand? The women decided to team up and sell the kombucha Mitchell was making in her kitchen. Danek had her own recruiting company for 15 years, which 'went into the toilet' because of the recession, so she decided to shutter it. Mitchell, who learned to brew kombucha from her mother-in-law, had just moved to Bend after three years of traveling the world with her husband and was seeking her next opportunity. 'Our goal is to make this product accessible by the bottle - it's fun - and we make it accessible by taste and we put it in stores where people shop,' Danek says.ĭanek and Mitchell met on a tennis court in 2008, at the height of the recession. 'That's always been our premise and it's worked so far.'

'Our successes has absolutely been, 'this tastes really good,'' Danek says. Kombucha is made with yeast or bacteria and comes in unflavored and flavored varieties.ĭanek and Mitchell credit the brand's growth to a focus on fun and flavor first, with the apparent health benefits a side benefit. That's partly due to the fermented tea's purported health benefits, including higher energy levels and a stronger immune system. The global kombucha market saw revenues of more than $1.5 billion in 2017, according to Mordor Intelligence, and is expected to grow at an annual rate of 17.5 percent from 2018 to 2023. Humm sales grew by 125 percent in 2017, the company says.īut you may be wondering, what is kombucha? Only a fraction of Americans know what it is - less than a fifth, according to Danek and Mitchell - and even fewer are buying it. It's also the official kombucha of the Seattle Seahawks. Humm Kombucha, founded in 2009, can now be found in around 9,000 stores across the U.S., including Costco, Target and Walmart, as well as in Sweden.

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