A Different Kind of “Campus Culture”
Written by Brynn Elson
For Lucy Cuneo, ‘23, kombucha was not “love at first taste.” Her mom, determined to convince her to drink more of the sour fermented tea, experimented with different flavorings: various fresh fruits and herbs from their backyard in San Diego, CA. Over time, Lucy grew to love kombucha. When her friend Griffin Johnston, ‘23, visited her in California last summer, Lucy’s mom taught them both how to make kombucha.
When the two returned to campus in August last year, they noticed that the kombucha in the AJ’s vending machine was a student favorite. Alas, the vending machine was frequently out of stock. Lucy and Griffin saw an opportunity to share their newfound passion for brewing with Hillsdale’s kombucha fans.
“We really got started at Maker’s Market,” said Lucy. Last fall, this SAB-run event hosted around twenty vendors, each of whom sold some sort of handmade product. Lucy and Griffin brought some red Solo cups, a few growlers full of their latest brews, and a clipboard for people to sign up for their email list.
They were thrilled by the outcome: “We ran out of kombucha in an hour,” said Griffin. Over 80 people signed up for their newsletter, which alerts customers when their next batch is ready. Maker’s Market helped them build a solid base of people with whom they can share their passion for kombucha.
Their name, Coastal Booch, comes from their two very different homes: Lucy is from San Diego, while Griffin is from the DC area. The two of them, representing America’s culturally unique east and west coasts, became friends in the Midwest—a region with a completely different culture. When they were trying to come up with a name, Lucy said they “tried to find a uniting factor” and landed on their two homes, which are both coastal despite being very far apart. Though they hail from regions with very different ways of life, they do share one type of culture—their kombucha culture.
So what makes Coastal Booch’s booch so unique? They distribute their booch by filling customers’ own bottles: “People bringing their own containers makes it more sustainable” Griffin explained.
Though the name “Coastal Booch” doesn’t exactly evoke images of Hillsdale, MI’s ocean-less midwestern landscape, the business is nonetheless rooted in this town. Lucy and Griffin use mostly local ingredients; they source mint from Slayton Arboretum and lavender from the Children’s Garden. The town of Hillsdale has left its mark on their brewing process, too: they brew in vases from Hillsdale Community Thrift and growlers from Hillsdale Brewing, just down the street.
Some of these locally inspired flavors, such as last semester’s “Mint Mojito,” are Coastal Booch’s most popular. The seasons shape the ingredients available to them, which in turn influences the flavors that they brew. They brewed a green tea cranberry kombucha over the winter, and now that things are warming up, they’re experimenting with more spring-y flavors like apple lavender.
Lucy and Griffin have dubbed their most popular flavor “Converting Chai™” because it convinces kombucha-haters (like young Lucy) to become kombucha-lovers. The idea came from a trip to Detroit: while in Whole Foods, the pair spotted a chai-flavored kombucha. Unfortunately, the booch in question was hard kombucha, making it off-limits for the then-19-year-olds. They decided to brew their own, and “Converting Chai™” became so popular that they joked about trademarking the name.
Curious about the process of brewing kombucha? Lucy and Griffin explained that they start each batch by adding a SCOBY (a Symbiotic Culture of Bacteria and Yeast) to super-sweet black tea. During what’s called a “first fermentation,” the microbes in the SCOBY consume the sugar in the tea and begin to produce the compounds that give kombucha its acidic taste. Yeast (related to the type of yeast in bread and beer) produce CO2, and bacteria (related to the type of bacteria in yogurt) produces acetic acid, giving kombucha its distinct vinegary flavor. If you’re interested in the microbiology of kombucha, this website has some interesting resources.
After one to two weeks of the initial fermentation, the SCOBY is removed and additional flavorings (such as fruit and herbs) are added to the fermented tea. The remaining bacteria and yeast begin to ferment the sugars in the fruit, producing even more acetic acid and carbon dioxide. At this stage, it’s important to seal the container to trap the carbon dioxide as it’s produced; this is what makes the kombucha fizzy.
Lucy is on WHIP this semester, meaning that Griffin has taken on a greater role in the brewing process. She described the responsibilities of managing Coastal Booch as “equivalent to a one-credit class.” To offset the workload, the team expanded to include Elle Hansen, another sophomore from San Diego. Elle and Griffin spend two to three hours each Sunday brewing tea, working on new flavors, and distributing the finished kombucha to customers. To try their kombucha, get in touch with them via either email ([email protected]) or Instagram DM (@coastal.booch). Weather permitting, they set up a table outside; otherwise, you can find them in the Union around lunchtime. The next time you see them on campus, give their kombucha a try. You, like young Lucy, might come to love it.
Brynn Elson, ’23, is a biochemistry major with a decent comprehension of the English language. She enjoys drinking coffee, playing the clarinet, and overcommitting to things. When she’s not studying (which is rare), you might be able to find her running (read: getting lost) on the back roads or complaining about Hillsdale’s lack of mountains.
Published in May 2021