“Life is what happens when you’re busy making other plans.” John Lennon

After years of living in London working in fashion, Maria decided she needed a change. She packed her belongings, quit her job, and booked a trip to the other side of the world. She got out of her comfort zone, lost herself in another culture, in another country, and accepted the new experiences that came her way. Sometimes you have to lose yourself to find yourself.

Maria tried Kombucha by chance in a restaurant in Bali. When she came back, she learned how to make it online and shared it with her friends and family. The project grew from her kitchen to what is today the first Kombucha factory in Porto. The challenge? To adapt the artisanal “know-how” to larger-scale production, without ever compromising its essence. The motivation? To share the benefits and once you try Kombucha you can really taste it.

It’s an unexpected path, as she herself says, but walking to the beat of your own drum can take courage, and this can be especially hard to do if you haven't learned how to drum…

So tell me, when did you try Kombucha for the first time?

I tried kombucha for the first time in Bali, Indonesia, in a very ‘Eat Pray Love’ moment of my life. I had just quit my job in fashion, left London for good, and went to Asia for a month to find my truth. Ironically, I did find it in the many local cafes and restaurants that make kombucha, home-made style, with exotic fruits, resulting in the most delicious flavors. My first taste was divine! I totally fell for it.

You started making it at home, what made you decide to set up a factory?

Once I returned to Porto, I went to look for kombucha in organic stores but what I found was disappointing and nothing like what I tried back in Bali. My standard was very high! So I went to youtube and watched all the tutorials on how to make it at home, and I did. But as a joke, it didn’t take it too seriously! Surprisingly, I had the hand for it and my friends and family supported me and pushed me to follow this unexpected path and set up my own brand.

What is kombucha?

Kombucha is fermented tea. It works a bit like making bread, you need mother culture to introduce bacteria and yeast into the tea - the famous SCOBY is the fermentation agent and looks a bit like a slimy pancake. Putting it simply, you add the mother to sweet green/ black tea and let it ferment for a minimum of 7 days and the result is a very different liquid from regular tea. It has gas, it is slightly acidic and it smells like vinegar. Amazing!

Do you have any advice for those trying to make it at home?

Sending good energy to the fermentation jar, I would say, is key!

What would be Darkside kombucha flavor?

Hmmm, something peachy.

What’s the best part of doing what you do? And the most challenging?

The best part is to succeed while totally out of my comfort zone. I feel very happy each time a batch tastes amazing and fermentation behaves as it should. Each batch is my baby and I feel it every step of the way. Also, there is a very rewarding feeling of building something from scratch, based on self-taught knowledge. But that is followed by a lot of doubts and worries, many obstacles and some disasters, that is the challenging part - to positively deal with it all.

Your background is in architecture and fashion, how do you bring that knowledge to your everyday life?

I learned how to think in architecture school and I learned production while working in the fashion industry. Both have contributed immensely to my abilities and gave me the grounds to make Aquela Kombucha happen.

From where did you order your last takeaway?

Nicolau, I am obsessed with their tacos!

What is your go-to Karaoke song?

I don’t really like to sing, ups!

How did you keep busy during lockdown?

I did my best to occupy myself with things that make me feel good and are kind to my mental health. I did yoga every day and went back to drawing, which made my mum so happy. Also got loads of quality time with my cats!

What are you most excited about this year?

I am so excited for the second year of AK! We have two new flavors coming out and so many ideas to develop. I have big expectations for next summer, I expect it to be the best one yet!

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