Meet Christy Rumbaugh of blessed booch in Orange County

Today we’d like to introduce you to Christy Rumbaugh.

Thanks for sharing your story with us Christy. So, let’s start at the beginning, and we can move on from there.
I became obsessed with kombucha because of the way it transformed my immune system and microbiome, and the amazing way it made me feel. I discovered a lady making kombucha at our local farmers market, and it was the best kombucha I had ever had! I bought all my booch from her religiously when one day I received her weekly email, and she said she was closing her business to peruse a new venture. I was very distraught at the thought of having to go back to the regular kombucha in the grocery store. However, because she was closing her business, she was also selling her cultures. I purchased one of her starter kits, and the rest is history.

I had immediate success with a delicious tasting brew and started sharing it with family and friends. The reaction to my homebrew was really positive! Once I received numerous requests from people to purchase it, I thought that maybe this was a path I should explore. I had always wanted to start my own business creating something to share with the world, but nothing ever really resonated until I started brewing kombucha. I found I was as passionate about making it as I was drinking it and really felt that I could create a positive impact on the world by sharing this gift.

blessed booch was officially born on September 25th, 2015. Now, three and a half years later, it is exciting to see how far we have come and how much we have grown.

Our business is still quite small, and our growth has been on the slower side. However, this business was started with only $1500, and we are still a fully bootstrapped operation. We are also being very cautious and mindful about the way we are growing and our intention for future growth. Our whole brand is based on supporting small local farms, ethical sourcing practices, and environmental sustainability, in order to produce the highest quality, most medicinally charge product possible.

The journey has been full of challenges, opportunities, and a lot of hard work.

Has it been a smooth road?
The road has been quite bumpy, full of extreme blissful highs and also some serious potholes.

I would say the biggest struggle has been finding a great team. Having a great team is super important to the success of any business. Finding people who have good work ethics, are reliable, and who are as passionate about your business as you are is an extremely difficult thing to find. In our specific situation, being a small start-up business without funding, the passion part was necessary on an even greater level.

It was no easy feat, but I am happy to say that I have found an AMAZING team of ladies, whom I lovingly refer to as my booch babes. The dedication and passion these women have for what we are creating has made me feel supported and given me back my sanity. I could not do what I do without them!

So, as you know, we’re impressed with blessed booch – tell our readers more, for example, what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
blessed booch is a small batch kombucha brewed in 1-gallon glass vessels. The base of our brew is made up of organic teas and cane sugar and reverse osmosis filtered water.

Although our kombucha is full flavored and sweet on the palate, we ferment our brew to a very low pH, leaving only about two grams of residual sugar left in each 16 oz bottle. Our booch is “farm to bottle,” meaning the flavors are inspired by the local, seasonal offerings from our network of small, family, and non-profit farms. We work closely with these farmers to bring you a product that we describe as – better than organic because although they may not have the monetary resources to provide the USDA Organic seal, they use old world practices and are located away from commercial farmland, protecting against cross-pollination from GMO and pesticide using farms.

We also give back to the earth through these farms by contributing all of our excess SCOBY, tea leaves, sample cups, and organic waste to enrich their compost heaps, which in turn grows the produce that we put back into our booch. It’s a harmonious, full circle relationship! We believe in the healing powers of kombucha and see it as “medicine” (the most delicious medicine you will ever have!). Our apothecary of infusions includes an array of superfoods and healing herbs to enhance the beneficial properties of the booch.

What really sets our kombucha apart is the addition of intention and energy. We create a concentrated, structured water using healing crystals, the sun, moon, stars, positive intentions and affirmations to charge the water with a high level of energy. We also use crystal singing bowls in our fermentation chambers which exude a healing matrix of grounding, peaceful energy. Together these techniques are intended to create high vibrations of healing energy to promote optimal cellular function and an overall blissful sensation.

Let’s touch on your thoughts about our city – what do you like the most and the least?
LA is an amazing mecca of creativity, where you can explore art, music, food, and culture while being in a beautiful setting near the beach. LA creates the opportunity for people to express themselves and go after their dreams.

I don’t love the traffic though…

Pricing:

• 16oz kombucha $7-$9
• 32oz kombucha $12-$16
• kombucha beauty products $15 – $45

Contact Info:

• Website: blessedbooch.com
• Email: boochbabes@blessedbooch.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/blessedbooch/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/blessedbooch/

Getting in touch: VoyageLA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.