Get Wild
With local kombucha company run by women
By Kourtney Meldrum, Staff Writer
What happens when a former Olympic athlete and past employee of Alberta Health Services with a Masters in environmental practice join forces? The result is the thriving local company Wild Tea Kombucha.
Wild Tea was started by Emily Baadsvik and Brigette Freel in June of 2015 and became a full fledged business in the following September. The company is based out of Calgary and is run by strong women who are dedicated to making delicious kombucha drinks that are good for you. They started off selling in community farmer’s markets, and have now expanded to many different providers throughout Alberta.
“We’re this tripod of really strong, fabulous women, who care about our health and our bodies. We also work together because we all have our own strengths,” Baadsvik, the founder of Wild Tea, says.
Kombucha is a drink that is made through a process of fermenting tea with yeast and bacteria in order to make a drink that is naturally energizing, and sweet enough to substitute for other sugar filled beverages.
Wild Tea differs from other kombucha companies because they brew with fresh pressed juices in order to create a really flavourful drink. The company also leaves their drinks non-carbonated and because of the sparkling properties of the kombucha it’s still bubbly. Wild Tea is also completely raw which means that it is unpasteurized and untouched by any preservatives or additives- what you see is what you get!
What makes this kombucha so unique, is their fun alcohol inspired flavours. Strawberry daiquiri, pineapple mojito, and hard lime might all sound like boozy cocktails you’d order on a patio, but in fact they’re just some of the flavours of kombucha made by Wild Tea.
“Strawberry Daiquiris were my drink of choice in the summer so that’s why we had a strawberry daiquiri kombucha. But it’s also what tastes good with kombucha” says Baadsvik. Not all fruits are going to juice the same, or interact the same with kombucha, so some a lot of the flavours are determined by what tastes the best when mixed with the fermented tea.
When it comes to benefits of this drink, many claims have been made. There hasn’t been any specific research done to prove that it supports weight loss or increases energy, but the drink is filled with probiotics and enzymes that helps with digestion, alkalization of the body, and hydration.
“Emily and Brigette do all if the production themselves, so they actually are quality controlling all the batches all the time. It’s very unique in the way that they keep a very close eye on the production” Allison says.
Baadsvik represented Canada at the Sochi Winter Olympics in 2014, and Freel lives her life full of adventure and fought forest fires with Manitoba Conservation. The two also acquired Beth Allison who joined the team through a company called District Ventures which is an accelerator program for food and prepackaged food in Canada.
Because Baadsvik and Freel have come from such unique backgrounds, they still incorporate their passions into their company through being environmentally conscious, and by supporting local athletes.
Wild Tea Kombucha comes out of a collective kitchen so the company works hard to minimize their carbon footprint, recycle what they can, and compost most of their waste. They’re working towards the goal of becoming a zero waste facility.
Because of her background as an athlete who went to the Olympic games, Baadsvik’s passionate about creating events through the company where they can employ local amateur athletes, working with the Canadian Sport Institute to promote the health and gut awareness of kombucha.
Looking forward, Wild Tea Kombucha has featured flavours coming out every month, a new bottle size and kegs ready to hit stores soon, and you can keep your eyes peeled for a lower price change. They’re launching their new on tap program which allows people use refillable bottles to get the product.
If you’re looking to try a new healthy drink, are already sold on kombucha, or love to support local boss babes then picking up a bottle of Wild Tea Kombucha might be right up your aisle.
“We’re not trying to sell a club, or a lifestyle, we’re just trying to sell something that’s healthy and that’s an option” says Baadsvik.
