UpDog Kombucha: Keeping It Local + Fresh!
Harvest Table Culinary Group is proud of our relationship with UpDog Kombucha, a locally owned kombucha microbrewery that was started in 2016 by recent Wake Forest University graduates Lauren Miller and Olivia Wolff. The two met while participating on the swim team at an all-girls high school in New Jersey and reconnected at Wake Forest over a shared interest in yoga, wellness and kombucha.
Lauren and Olivia started making kombucha in their room at Dogwood Resident Hall. They would flavor their batches with fresh fruit and ingredients from Wake Forest’s dining hall. At the time, Lauren was a junior and Olivia a senior and they had no plans to start a real business. Instead they intended to use their creativity – and admittedly renegade spirit – to sell their creation to friends on campus via an Instagram account. However, the business quickly flourished and they were soon selling up to one hundred and sixty bottles per week.
UpDog Kombucha is currently located in a large warehouse just four miles north of Wake Forest University. The microbrewery is currently updating its equipment as well as investing in larger scale brewing tanks. They employ two full time brewers and many part-time workers, several of them Wake Forest students, to help with deliveries, events and sales activities. UpDog Kombucha is available in both kegs and bottles and can be found throughout North Carolina, Virginia and South Carolina.
They utilize local whole fruits, herbs, and fresh roots, many purchased at local food markets. These fresh ingredients are added to their tea blend to create a wide variety of wholesome flavors. The end product contains no chemicals, no preservatives and no corn syrup. UpDog’s Kombucha is Vegan, gluten-free, low sugar, and low calorie. It’s sold in variety of stores as well as yoga studios, local farmers’ markets, and several college campuses – including Wake Forest where it all started.
There are several signature flavors, all named after yoga poses, that include Sun Salute, Lotus, Sphinx, Happy Baby, and Wild Thing. When it comes to creating new flavors, UpDog trusts their customers’ opinions.
We test them first internally and then some of our best customers at the farmers market will get test recipes because we trust their feedback!
Lauren Miller
UpDog Kombucha
UpDog Kombucha is one of Harvest Table’s many partners sharing a commitment to service excellence, healthy lifestyles, and quality ingredients. Each of our partners brings something unique to the table, but they all share the belief that we can offer memorable experiences that create connections through food. If you’re interested in connecting with us about a partnership, please reach out to us.
