Growing up in a family who practiced Eastern philosophy that included a deep appreciation of plant-based medicinal foods, GT Dave often was exposed to unique foods and ingredients from around the world. Around 1992 when he was just a teenager, Dave’s family was gifted a SCOBY, which ultimately led to him gaining a new appreciation for a new plant-based food: kombucha.
SCOBY, which stands for symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast, is an ingredient used in the fermentation and production of kombucha. Dave and his family used the SCOBY to begin homebrewing small batches of kombucha. However, he admits that he didn’t really like the taste of kombucha at first. “To my then teenage palate, kombucha had such a pungent smell and strange taste; it was sort of this weird thing my parents enjoyed that I just had to deal with in the house,” he explains. “But, over time, I learned to love it and grew a real affinity for its taste and more importantly, how it made me feel.”