Alcohol, the age-old social lubricant that makes you feel like a comedian, oils up your witty banter with coworkers and takes the edge off talking to your boss.
It seems like social gatherings are synonymous with sipping an alcoholic drink. I think it's time for a change and more and more companies around the Bay Area seem to agree. The “bro” happy hour culture is getting old. It's time for a new era of socializing where your red cup is full of something other than beer (even if it’s from a famous local microbrewery)
.Enter kombucha. Kombucha is the bubbly beverage that is taking over refrigerators in grocery stores across the country. This fermented tea is a popular choice for health conscious connoisseurs to wellness skeptics because it tastes delicious and is so much better than youth-sucking soda.
Kombucha satisfies with the carbonation kick of beer, but without the booze. It’s sweet, but not sickenly so like soda and comes in an abundance of creative flavors. What's not to love? Also, it's good for you! Full of beneficial probiotics, antioxidants and B-vitamins it's guaranteed to make you feel better the next day, compared to a boozy hangover.
You may think that without alcohol your team will be twiddling their thumbs. Think again because not only is kombucha your new favorite beverage, but you can make it at home or at work! Start your next happy hour with a kombucha brewing workshop that engages your team in learning a new skill, builds community and creates a culture of a company that values the well-being of their employees.
As a Certified Holistic Nutritionist, I have been teaching kombucha brewing workshops around the world since 2012. At a recent onsite kombucha workshop in San Francisco, an employee took me aside and said,“ I am so grateful you came to our office. I am sober and it was so nice to do something as a team that felt really inclusive.”
Brewing kombucha changed my life because it got me thinking about what I put in my body and how it makes me feel. It also empowered me to start making food myself that I'd usually purchase from the supermarket.
I treasure the several emails I get per month from workshop participants sharing their team’s kombucha flavoring competitions and the cute names they have given to their SCOBYs (kombucha brewing organisms). I have been booked by companies large and small who are ready to take their team building events and happy hours to the next level.
