Despite having been around for thousands of years, few people know exactly what kombucha is. If you’ve been to Chimera, Brad Linhart—the founder of Cült Kombucha—may have handed you a glass filled to the brim with a bright red fermented drink.
For the uninitiated: Kombucha is a slightly effervescent fermented tea with a myriad of baseless health benefits often ascribed to it. The one perk Linhart is willing to vouch for is kombucha’s active probiotic cultures, which promote healthy gut bacteria. Recent research indicates a strong correlation between mood and the health of the gut.
Linhart started brewing kombucha a year ago, after recognizing the
high cost of his daily post-cycling habit. He initially brewed out of
his apartment, where his roommates became his first converts and tasting
panel. Their experience with both coffee and cocktails played to his
advantage, providing him with valuable
feedback.
Linhart also works at Chimera, so once his friends and family became loyal followers, he used the café’s commercial kitchen to scale up production. He was sharing his brew with fellow staff when it caught the attention of Chimera co-owner, Rob Stuart. It wasn’t long before Stuart took Linhart to the local brewing supply store to purchase the necessary kegging equipment so Chimera could sell Cült on tap.
Linhart expected that first batch to last a month, but it sold out in three days. Since then, several other local coffee shops and breweries have expressed interest in carrying Cült.
To Linhart, the most valuable aspect of Cült is that it represents local culture. The native Californian aims to perpetuate the supportive community he’s found in Tulsa. Showcasing the work of local artists on his labels will be one of the ways he does that.
“There really isn’t a fun kombucha company,” said Linhart. “I want to take influence from different breweries and coffee shops or art.”
Once Linhart expands production to accommodate kegs, he aims to begin bottling—a process which requires more knowledge about commercial operations. Linhart is one of seven entrepreneurs in the current session of the Lobeck Taylor Family Foundation’s Kitchen 66 program, which offers training in both the business of food and beverage as well as a commercial kitchen space.
Fortunately for us, this Cült leader strives to positively influence our minds through our guts.
(This article was originally published in the November 2017 A Issue of The Tulsa Voice.)
