Ignited!

When you Google “kombucha drinkers,” most of the images you’ll see feature white people enjoying a glass or brewing a batch. Though the sweet and tangy fermented drink continues to grow in popularity, there is a lack of diversity among its creators and consumers.

Michaela Teasley, the founder of Tally Kombucha, defies that generalization.

Photo by Saige Roberts

A wife and mother of two who is originally from Atlanta, Teasley’s identity as a young Black woman has played a huge role in the way she navigates the kombucha world.

“For me, there have been three different layers that I’ve had to fight,” she said. “One is that I’m Black, the second thing is that I’m a woman and the third thing is my age.”

In the kombucha industry, white men are seen as the leaders. Whether it be beer, kimchi or kombucha, they’re seen as pioneers, even though the fermentation process has been around for thousands of years.

According to Healthline, kombucha is a fermented tea thought to have originated in China or Japan. It’s created by using a SCOBY (symbiotic colony of bacteria and yeast) and putting it into a brewed tea with sugar. The mixture is left to ferment over a period of time, creating kombucha. The longer it ferments, the more acidic and vinegary it becomes.

When Teasley began Tally Kombucha, she was seen as young and unknowledgeable. She was also regarded as “just a woman” and has seen doors close because of her identity.

Despite these difficulties, she was able to persevere and continue running her business. With confidence and community support, she built a thriving enterprise.

Since she started, Teasley’s profits have grown steadily, and she hopes to continue expanding. Some of her future projects include increasing non-alcoholic beverages, introducing fresh-pressed juice, experimenting with other fermentation products, conducting more mocktail classes and having the taproom open for longer hours.

“All the challenges that I’ve faced and continue to face are what have made me have thicker skin,” she said. “But that thickness of skin is what most people say you need to have when you run your own business.”

↑ Mary’s Blood Orange, Blackberry Lavender and Pina Colada are just a few of the flavors available from Tally Kombucha. Buy them online, or sample some on draft at the company’s taproom on Apalachee Parkway. Photo by Saige Roberts

With a background in biotechnology and marketing, Teasley’s main goal is to build a healthy community in Tallahassee and beyond. She emphasizes the benefits of kombucha and has even branched out to create other products to promote healthy living. These include house-made granolas, lemonades, teas and kombucha rollups.

“We continue to keep customers first in our products,” she said. “Our community understands that we are here to see them grow and are really invested in their health.”

Kombucha’s main benefit is that it is a good source of probiotics. People with gut issues may benefit from drinking the tea. Teasley’s own gut issues prompted her to get started in the kombucha realm. In addition to probiotics, according to Healthline, kombucha contains many antioxidants, can kill bacteria and may reduce the risk of diseases including diabetes and heart disease.

Teasley wants to spread the word about these benefits, and her biggest inspiration is her community. This includes fellow kombucha creators, customers, friends and family. She isn’t just in the kombucha business for the money. She prides herself in being the change you want to see in your community and wants to change the way people believe they should eat.

“This is bigger than me; this isn’t just for my health,” Teasley said. “It’s for their health, and I want to make my community a better place,” she said. “I have kids, and I want them to be able to have a place that is fertile ground.”

Photo by Saige Roberts

Teasley’s kombucha is all about feelings. She takes the time to craft each flavor on the basis of the way she wants her customers to feel after or while they’re drinking it.

At the moment, Tally Kombucha is promoting their flavor of the month, “Ignite,” which was inspired by a professor at FSU who came in for the first time — his last name is ignite, when translated from Hebrew.

“It’s for anybody who needs to be ignited from the inside,” Teasley said. “It feels like you’ve swallowed the sun, and it’s warming you from the inside.”

Chelsie Ross is a senior journalism student at Florida A&M University.

Tally Kombucha

Teasley encourages anyone interested in learning more about Tally Kombucha — the team, brand and product updates — to stop by the taproom at 2525 Apalachee Parkway and follow the business @tallykombucha on Instagram.