BKE Kombucha Brewers Work Overtime in NYC Hospitals Fighting Coronavirus And Try to Keep Their Business Alive | Eater NY

"Founded in 2018 by Saleena Subaiya and Lawrence Purpura, two doctors who used to work at the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, this Bushwick brewery has built a local following for its non-carbonated kombucha, sold at neighborhood restaurants, local grocery stores, and tasting events in the couple’s loft apartment. Before the COVID-19 shutdown it was producing 2,000 gallons at a time and was about to sign a deal to bring its product to roughly 300 stores across New York State, and its pear and chrysanthemum kombucha even landed a spot on the tasting menu at David Chang’s two-Michelin-starred Momofuku Ko. The shutdown forced their head brewer to leave, halted that major retail expansion and Momofuku Ko’s service, and left business diminished, but orders still trickled in, friends stepped up to handle citywide deliveries, and Bushwick bars listed the kombucha on delivery menus to help sales; the couple plans to return to BKE after the pandemic and offers next-day delivery through its online store." - Luke Fortney