CASCARA KOMBUCHA

Kombucha has become synonymous with delivering probiotic gut health via a delicious, refreshing drink. Batchwell Kombucha has been leading the way in NZ with its range of raw, unpasturised drinks flavoured with cold-pressed organic fruits and vegetables.

Batchwell is continuing its product innovation with the release of Cascara Kombucha, a collaboration with Kokako Fairtrade Organic Coffee. Cascara is Spanish for the cherry skin peel that encases coffee beans and that is usually discarded after processing.

Mike Murphy and the team at Kokako became interested in adding value to the cherry husks during repeated origin visits to Papua New Guinea. He could see it could offer a potential source of extra income for the farmers, although initial uptake on his idea was slow.

But after extensive development over several years with the Neknasi Coffee Cooperative in PNG, Murphy and Kokako have teamed with Batchwell Kombucha to use the sun-dried ‘cherries’ to produce a unique tonic drink that’s a world first.

The cascara is fermented with Batchwells’ organic tea blend and kombucha culture to create a raw unpasteurised drink with a distinctive taste that bears no similarity to coffee. Instead the initial sour cherry flavour is replaced by a sweet aftertaste and umami texture. The Cascara Kombucha also provides another source of income for the fair-trade woman coffee growers of Sikilan village in Papua New Guinea.