Kenya’s Booch expands kombucha production as demand surges

Booch has turned kombucha into a distinctly Kenyan drink, and that local pitch is now helping drive its next phase of growth. The Kikuyu, Kiambu County producer says it now employs 30 people as demand rises, with its fermented tea built from 100% Kenyan ingredients, including locally sourced tea, sugar, fruits and botanicals.

The company’s roots go back to 2016, when founder Eoin Flinn began making kombucha as a hobby after first discovering it in November of that year. Kombucha Brewers International says Booch became a company in January 2017, and the brand has since built a foothold in Kenya’s beverage market by leaning into small-batch production and an organic identity. Industry listings describe Booch as a small-batch organic kombucha producer, while the company itself says it is locally sourced and locally made.

At the core of the process is the SCOBY, the symbiotic colony of bacteria and yeast that ferments sweet tea into kombucha. Earlier reporting on Booch noted that Flinn used oolong tea sourced from Kenyan farms, a detail that fits the company’s broader push to keep inputs close to home rather than relying on imported wellness culture. That sourcing strategy matters in a market where consumers are learning what kombucha is and where its flavor comes from, from the tea base to the fruit and botanical blends that shape each batch.

Booch’s expansion also reflects a wider shift in Kenya’s drink scene. Kombucha has moved beyond a niche health product and into Nairobi gyms and supermarkets as interest has grown, and Booch has widened its own range with fermented sparkling iced teas and wellness tonics. That broader line suggests the company is not just selling bottles of fermented tea, but building a brand around local tastes, local supply chains and a category that still depends on consumer education.

For kombucha brewers watching new markets, Booch’s growth shows what can happen when a ferment is adapted instead of imported whole. The company’s pitch is simple but effective: Kenyan ingredients, Kenyan production, and a drink that feels at home in Kikuyu and Nairobi rather than borrowed from somewhere else.