Nestled in the heart of the Blue Ridge Mountains, a family-run business is brewing what many call the best kombucha on the East Coast.

Kombucha is a fermented tea made by combining sweetened tea with a symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast, known as a SCOBY. The result is a tangy, lightly fizzy drink often infused with fruit, herbs, or spices.

At Blue Ridge Bucha, owner Hank Heyming and his family handcraft small batches of kombucha with a focus on bold flavor, organic ingredients, and raw, live probiotics—known to support digestive health, skin, and joint wellness.

“I’ve always been a brewer,” says Hank. “I’ve fermented things all my life. And I love making things that make people happy.”

The Heyming family’s mission is to change how people think about kombucha.

“We’re trying to focus on making a kombucha that’s very approachable and that’s packed full of all the probiotic goodness—but also is something that when you drink it, it’s very refreshing and it’s something that you want to drink.”

Blue Ridge Bucha offers six main sparkling flavors: Ginger, Elderflower Sunrise, Bluegrass Bucha, Black Raspberry, Wild Pear, and Jasmine Grape. They also rotate in creative blends like Pineapple Peak, Hoppin’ Orange, CranBucha, and KomuChai. Every flavor is USDA certified organic.

The company draws deep inspiration from its surroundings.

“The Blue Ridge Mountains create the water that we use to make our kombucha,” says Hank. “We don’t do anything to our water because it’s already very good water coming from the mountains.”

Beyond ingredients, the mountains influence the spirit and hands-on craft behind each batch.

“Camping, climbing and hiking—these are all things you do with your hands. And we are making our kombucha with our hands also. It’s all handmade the way it used to be done. And I think that can speak to people throughout the Blue Ridge Mountains.”

Want to taste the difference for yourself? You can find Blue Ridge Bucha right here at the Fredericksburg Food Co-op.

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