Troy-based Yesfolk Tonics is looking to expand
TROY, N.Y. » Local business Yesfolk Tonics is introducing customers to new tastes as it expands throughout the region.
The Collar City-based Yesfolk Tonics is a family-run fermented beverage brewery specializing in probiotic tonics. Kombucha, water kefir and ginger beer are among the company’s products.
While most people know about ginger beer, not everyone is familiar with Yesfolk’s other tonics. Kombucha is a living fermented tea rich in probiotics and enzymes. All Yesfolk kombucha is made with single origin tea, live house kombucha culture and organic cane sugar and pristine water in oak barrels that are crafted in the Adirondacks.
Water kefir is another fermented probiotic tonic made with natural plant-based sugars and botanicals. Yesfolk makes this with local honey and maple syrup, along with different herbs.
Yesfolk Tonics are available in three different sized growlers or in 12-ounce cans.
The company is constantly putting out new products using different recipes and ingredients for its beverages, and it seems whatever’s new is most popular with customers, said co-owner Adam Elabd.
However one fan favorite is the oolong kombucha, which was the first product to be offered in the cans. “It’s bright and peachy and really delicious and people have been pretty unanimously liking that,” he said.
Founded in 2017, Yesfolk Tonics is operated by Elabd and his wife Yiyi Mendoza as well as Yiyi’s brothers Frank Mendoza and Javi Mendoza.
Yesfolk Tonics has its own tasting room and brewery located at 2247 13th St. in Troy. This space is open to the public from noon to 4 p.m. on Saturdays through the end of this month.
Then in May, Yesfolk Tonics will begin selling at the Delmar Farmers Market on Saturdays and the Schenectady Greenmarket every other Sunday for the season, in addition to some other special events.
Yesfolk Tonics products are also now available at about 50 locations throughout the greater area, ranging from Lake Placid to Brooklyn and Utica to Vermont.
With a strong local presence, Yesfolk Tonics can be found at Lucas Confectionery, Harrison’s Corner Market, Franklin Alley Social Club, Elixir 16, The Placid Baker, Sunhee’s Farm & Kitchen and Superior Merchandise Co in its home town of Troy.
To the north in Saratoga County, Yesfolk is in Artisanal Brew Works, Four Seasons Natural Foods, Kru Coffee, Pint Sized, Putnam Market, Saratoga Tea & Honey, Artisanal Brew Works and Common Roots Brewing. “Saratoga has been good to us,” Elabd said. “We’re really lucky that there’s a lot of great communities in the area of people who enjoy craft beverages of all types.”
He continued, “Even though what we’re making isn’t an alcoholic craft beverage, we’re still making it with all of the same ethic and attention to detail as craft beer makers or artisanal wine makers are.”
Next, Yesfolk Tonics plans to expand west to Syracuse. “Wherever people are excited about what we’re making, we want to share it with them,” Elabd said.
Yesfolk Tonics is currently getting ready to release barrel-fermented vinegar soon too.
Looking ahead, Elabd said the plan is to continue enjoying spreading Yesfolk Tonics with more people in the area, growing steadily and keeping high quality standards. As Yesfolk expands its repertoire, he said, “There’s always going to be something fresh and exciting available.”
More information about Yesfolk Tonics, including updates on offerings and events, is online at www. yesfolktonics.com, www. facebook.com/yesfolk and @yesfolk on Instagram.