I am Kallia, founder and creator of The Greek Gut.🙋♀️ I am a Greek American 'Kombu-preneur' born and raised in the United States who happily moved overseas to live and explore the land of antiquity which is Greece. When I moved here officially, I made sure to bring a small piece of home with me: my darling SCOBY--Symbiotic Culture of Bacteria and Yeast. I would share my concoctions with my neighbors, newfound friends, and colleagues, which led to being quite the conversation starter!
(Protip: When moving to a new place, bring that one special-weird thing to help make some friends👯♂️.)
Here is the thing: Kombucha is a health-conscious drink, consumed by health nerds and yogis alike, but we don't all start out with this mindset 🙇♀️
Back in the day, I struggled with underlying anxiety, which, some serious juice and sugar consumption over the years most definitely contributed to. Eventually, I started smoking, drinking coffee and alcohol, and in short, not living a life I truly aligned with. At the time, it never occurred to me that every bad habit I was acquiring within my body started to deeply affect my quality of mind. I was very short-tempered, had little to no patience, and my mind was always in the state of “complaint”.
I knew something had to change. It wasn’t until I made a conscious switch to doing a little bit of yoga here and drinking a little bit of kombucha there, that I began to slowly morph into the being I never knew I had the capacity to become. I began to develop focus, craved less sugar, and my digestion became noticeably more balanced-- I began to feel inherently fresh and positive, and genuinely, human. It isn't to say Kombucha is a one-all-cure-all, but rather as the Kombucha guru, Hannah Crum, states so beautifully: "one good habit often leads to other good habits."
Since I found a passion for producing and sharing homemade kombucha, I started to wonder how much more accessible can I make it to the world around me, in a country I love wholeheartedly. I knew when moving to Greece that kombucha was not a popular item on the market, and although I found some here and there, they weren’t exactly my taste (nor in my price range). It dawned on me an opportunity and a clear intention:
To bring a tasty health-drink alternative that is affordable to the people living and coming to Greece.
One thing I love the most about Greece is the quality of the natural produce-- from fruits to herbs, one simply cannot be disappointed. I want this bacteria culture to feast upon the Greek flavors and become a vital and natural Greek product, despite the tea having Middle-Eastern and Asian roots-- this kombucha will unite appetizing forces!
Being able to make this drink has brought me profound happiness, health, and a better mindset on some of the hardest days upon moving here alone. Now I want to share the beauty and magic found in this ‘positive potion’ with the people within Greece and help others lead a joyful lifestyle starting with good gut health!✨