KOMBU

First Modern Kombucha Brewer

The KOMBU Fermenstation is a purpose-built machine to craft real Kombucha at a fraction of the cost of store-bought kombucha.

Brand

KOMBU

Role

Co-Founder Industrial Design

Industries

Smart Home Appliance

Date

2020 — Present

KOMBU Hero
KOMBU Hero
KOMBU Hero

KOMBU was created with the goal of addressing the common challenges faced by home kombucha brewers. Our aim is to simplify the brewing process and make kombucha’s health benefits more accessible to everyone. Surprisingly, brewing kombucha at home has not changed its form and function for over 2200 years—it's still just a jar covered with fabric. In reality, home brewing kombucha is a complicated mess: There is no current solution, inconsistent results, and a messy setup. KOMBU sets out to bring this method into the 21st century with a purpose-built device that is as intuitive as it is beautiful. It provides everything needed to brew kombucha in a unified solution—integrating fermentation principles for ease and reliability.

KOMBU Countertop
KOMBU Countertop
KOMBU Countertop
KOMBU Exploded
KOMBU Exploded
KOMBU Exploded
KOMBU Bottles
KOMBU Bottles
KOMBU Bottles
KOMBU Insitu
KOMBU Insitu
KOMBU Insitu

Go with your gut.


KOMBU began as a simple kitchen experiment in 2017, sparked by my partner and I's passion for making kombucha at home. But the frustration of inconsistent brews and a cluttered countertop pushed us to rethink our approach. During the pandemic, we refined our process as we spent more time at home and focused on our health. In 2020, driven by a relentless pursuit of better home-brewed kombucha, we applied design thinking to come up with a better solution. By 2021, our hard work paid off with a Design and Utility patent. KOMBU was born out of a love for the craft and a commitment to making it better.

Responsibilities
Strategy & Positioning · Design Operations · Industrial Design · CMF · Design for Manufacturing · Creative Direction · Packaging Design

Industrial Design Team
Natalia Amijo – Co-Founder & CDO
Michael Churchill – Co-Founder & CEO

Video Production Team
Wild West – Live Footage + Photography
Federico Piccirillo – 3D Animation for launch video
ClumsyCongregation - Sound Design

Recognition
Patented Product
Kickstarter: Products We Love, Best of Kickstarter Award

Mentions: DesignMilk, Minimalissimo, TrendHunter, Uncrate, Tech Crunch

Go with your gut.


KOMBU began as a simple kitchen experiment in 2017, sparked by my partner and I's passion for making kombucha at home. But the frustration of inconsistent brews and a cluttered countertop pushed us to rethink our approach. During the pandemic, we refined our process as we spent more time at home and focused on our health. In 2020, driven by a relentless pursuit of better home-brewed kombucha, we applied design thinking to come up with a better solution. By 2021, our hard work paid off with a Design and Utility patent. KOMBU was born out of a love for the craft and a commitment to making it better.

Responsibilities
Strategy & Positioning · Design Operations · Industrial Design · CMF · Design for Manufacturing · Creative Direction · Packaging Design

Industrial Design Team
Natalia Amijo – Co-Founder & CDO
Michael Churchill – Co-Founder & CEO

Video Production Team
Wild West – Live Footage + Photography
Federico Piccirillo – 3D Animation for launch video
ClumsyCongregation - Sound Design

Recognition
Patented Product
Kickstarter: Products We Love, Best of Kickstarter Award

Mentions: DesignMilk, Minimalissimo, TrendHunter, Uncrate, Tech Crunch

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