Jean-Pierre Parent, a yoga teacher in Portland, Oregon, noticed that, even though people often go to yoga studios for the community, many students would shyly slink away after class. In response, he began bringing his home-brew kombucha to enjoy after class. It was an instant hit, with people requesting to purchase his kombucha. SOMA Kombucha was born from this.

SOMA is Sanskrit, from the Upanishads. It means “nectar of life” and “drink of the gods”, and its root literally means distill, extract, or sprinkle. Back in the aughts I would bring my family recipe kombucha to my yoga classes so students could take a little probiotic elixir with them in their bellies, the naturally caffeine-removed benefits distilled from tea, and a sprinkle of community.

The dots in the letters represent the colonies of beneficial bacteria that supplant our digestive system, because SOMA has billions more naturally occurring probiotics than other brands (see these lab test results). And their position is in an arc, representing the arc of time in our long fermentation process, which is one of the things that makes SOMA really special.

So just like our bacteria work quietly in our system to bring us happiness, mental clarity, immunity, vitality, and countless other things, the SOMA logo was meant to be a gentle reminder, for those curious enough to look for the deeper meaning.

He’s been around the business long enough to know what works for him. Indeed, he’s narrowed his distribution as times have changed.

You know, we used to be in Southern California. We used to be shipping out as far as Colorado on pallets and it’s just it’s really contracted a lot. A really fantastic business can be created just doing a few farmers’ markets and finding a plateau that works for somebody’s lifestyle and their interest and their passion. Because it’s a marathon, you know. And so it’s it’s got to be something that can can keep your interest.

One thing that *really* works for SOMA are multiple taprooms. They have one in SE Portland, staffed and open seven days a week. In addition, there are taprooms in Beaverton, OR, downtown Vancouver, WA, a new one in Capitol Hill, Seattle, and one under construction in Olympia, WA set to open in April ’25. The ones in Washington State take advantage of state laws that allow them to be ‘un-staffed’. SOMA is part of a growing wave of businesses using mobile phones and access systems, allowing customers to ring up their purchase of on-tap kombucha by the pint or the growler,

These are simple to access:

Just scan the QR code on the door to quickly sign up for a free account. Then unlock the door from your phone, help yourself to free samples from our rotating seasonal taps, fill a pint or growler or choose from our other wellness products, and check out on your phone, just like buying something online.

This Instagram shows how to access the un-staffed taproom.

SOMA makes a wide range of both kombucha and jun.

Kombucha

Jun

Wellness Water

Combines organic hemp derived CBD, organic 100% fruiting body medicinal mushrooms and living, untreated high-frequency water.

Jean-Pierre now has a large enough production facility enabling him to do contract manufacturing for other beverages.

We’re doing a lot of research and development. We do a lot of formulation of beverages across the entire beverage space where our focus is fermentation and natural and organic. We’re doing this product right now, which is a very specific kind of ethnic soda that’s available in a certain place in the world.

To hear the story of SOMA Kombucha listen to my interview with Jean-Pierre.

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