The colorful cans that arrived at 300 Publix stores in recent weeks aren’t a soda – at least not the way you think of soda.
“In most people’s minds, soda is this sugary, unhealthy drink,” said Adrian Larrea, the entrepreneur behind Cary-based beverage startup Tribucha. “What we’re saying is, it doesn’t have to be. We’re redefining soda.”
And the Tribucha team – known for its pucker-worthy kombucha drinks – is opening up an entirely new market in the process.
Tribucha, with its “SuperB” line, is foraying outside of fermented teas to a proprietary probiotic. The goal is to get the 44 percent of people who dislike kombucha on board with something healthier.
Not only is it a new taste – like a Fanta as opposed to the vinegary-ness of kombucha – it’s also a new way of packaging for Tribucha, Larrea said. The products are shelf stable, which meant Publix was willing to give them a try, Larrea said.
The team has been working on the SuperB line since April of 2020, and it’s been a challenge. The firm worked with a group of scientists on what’s called a “super culture.” The resulting product is a carbonated, zero-sugar, zero-carb, high-probiotic drink that has the benefits of a kombucha but without the vinegar, Larrea said.
In addition to the research and scaling involved in pushing out a new product, the firm had to deal with grocery stores in a pandemic, wary of adding to their shelves.
Larrea estimates the firm will do more than $2 million in revenue this year. And he sees 100 percent growth in 2022. Right now, the firm has 20 full-time employees, with its kombucha products in 32 states and at more than 2,500 locations. The firm will continue to put out the kombucha it’s known for, even as it explores new beverage products, Larrea said.
“It’s the Sierra Nevada of the kombucha world – craft, cool art, funky packaging,” Larrea said. It’s in 200 Whole Foods stores, 265 Harris Teeters and 165 Fresh Markets.
“We have just been picking up more and more and more,” Larrea said.
If consumers buy in, SuperB could soon be in all Publix stores. Right now, the firm has the bandwidth to accommodate that kind of growth. Larrea estimates it could support 500 percent growth at its current facility.
Larrea, a former tech entrepreneur, founded the firm with Jon York. Together, the friends poured in their savings, some $30,000, to help the product take off. Since then, they’ve scored outside backers, such as Cofounders Capital Founder David Gardner, who sits on the Tribucha board. The firm closed on $556,000 in 2017.
But it’s a competitive space. While there have been some other Triangle success stories – such as Slingshot Coffee, which also expanded into a soda product – there have also been some pitfalls. Mati Energy, for example, developed an energy drink out of a Duke University dorm room, going on to attract major investors such as AOL co-founder Steve Case. But the firm wound up shutting down last year.
Larrea hopes to differentiate through innovation. By expanding from just kombucha, he hopes Tribucha will become a more general beverage brand – one whose wares can be found in more than one section of the grocery store.
