Today we’d like to introduce you to Jennifer and Eric Halverson.
Jennifer and Eric, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
Eric & I started out as avid craft beer drinkers and foodies in general. We’ve always been interested in farmer’s markets around the globe, fermentation and food/beverage making. So Eric eventually started brewing beer at home and started with a double IPA that turned out great!
Then we were turned on to mead by an enthusiastic couple at Stone Brewing Escondido. They passionately encouraged us to check out Golden Coast Mead in Oceanside, so of course, being the foodie explorers we are, we went right over there.
Chris Herr, head brewer at GCM, explained all things mead to us, and their mead in particular is a dry, sparkling craft mead. We enjoyed our mead buzz and soon after, Eric began experimenting with mead making at home. Actually, he made his first batch of mead and first batch of kombucha the same day.
Then one magical day we heard through the craft beverage grapevine that there was a kombucha you can make with honey (with a special culture) instead of sugar. This excited us both because what we loved about mead was the honey (and the buzz).
So of course, we immediately ordered our first jun culture at kombuchakamp.com and the result was phenomenal. Better tasting than any kombucha we’d ever tried, anywhere. This was it. We were going to make this jun kombucha and sell it at farmer’s markets.
So here we are, approximately three years after that fateful night at Stone Brewing, selling our well-received jun at farmer’s markets in Orange, San Diego & LA counties.
Has it been a smooth road?
Our business endeavor has flowed nicely for the most part, but of course all businesses run into snags and struggles. In the beginning, we wrangled with the health department since kombucha is a relatively new product and not many understand it. We were delayed for quite a few months before we could actually start selling to the public.
With Eric’s full-time day job, our business is able to stay afloat during these early years.
Some farmer’s markets have proven more successful than others, so our locations have shifted over the years. Some markets are not ready for kombucha, and others have been waiting for it to show up!
So, as you know, we’re impressed with JenEric Foods – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
Our business is named JenEric Foods in the hopes that one day we’ll introduce more products. But for now, our flagship product is jun, which is kombucha fermented with honey & green tea. We never use sugar or add any sweetener after the first fermentation. No fruit, nothing. This is our signature style.
Honeys from various flowers in southern California all taste differently and have their own unique qualities. We feel that these nuanced flavors are special enough, without adding herbs, fruit, or other aromatics.
Some honeys ferment faster (Buckwheat) or stranger (Mesquite) than others, and therefore we have clear front runners/fan favorites. And still there are the die-hard kombucha fans, who are always looking for the next interesting, or funky flavor. We’ve got those too!
We love supporting the beekeeping community. There are so many conscientious local beekeepers, young and old, who care for the bees and treat them in a way that supports a long-lasting, thriving bee population. We feel as a company that this endeavor is an important one, and we’re happy to support those who do it right.
We specialize in drinkable kombucha. We never ferment too long and we add just enough fizz to make it refreshing and enjoyable. Our customers often tell us, “This is the best kombucha I’ve ever had.”
Let’s touch on your thoughts about our city – what do you like the most and least?
Eric & I both love LA. We were both born in LA county and moved down to OC as kids. We’ve been venturing up to LA for years, looking for the hip new food spots, food trucks, bookstores, coffee, vegan cheese. What we love about LA is that you can find anything you’re into.
Recently we stayed overnight near Westwood Village, woke up in the morning and walked from our hotel through a charming, old typical LA residential neighborhood to a nearby coffee spot. Then after checkout, we drove all the way down Santa Monica Blvd to East LA where we enjoyed a vegan brunch at Moby’s Little Pine.
Such diversity of neighborhoods, foods, and sights. It’s wonderful to visit and now that we’re selling our jun at the Mar Vista farmers market, we get to meet local LA people on a weekly basis who really GET kombucha.
Pricing:
- Growlers $20
- Bottles $9
Contact Info:
- Website: jenericfoods.com
- Phone: 949/421.8986
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: @jenericjun
- Facebook: facebook.com/JenEricFoods
- Twitter: twitter.com/jenericfoods
Image Credit:
Douglas Miller, Christy Sohie, @momoratcliffe
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