Earth911 Podcast: Flying Embers’ Caspar Poyck on Brewing Hard Kombucha

Earth911 Podcast: Flying Embers’ Caspar Poyck on Brewing Hard Kombucha

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Caspar Poyck, cofounder and senior director of plant operations at onerous kombucha brewer Flying Embers, shares how the corporate works to cut back its environmental footprint, together with capturing the CO2 generated by its fermentation processes so as to add fizz to its fruit-flavored kombucha drinks. After the founders experienced the 2017 Thomas Fires in Ojai, Calif., they renamed the corporate Flying Embers to commemorate victims of the tragedy and heroism of first responders who helped save the historic constructing the place they began. The hearth burned 440 sq. miles and was the biggest wildfire in California historical past on the time. After confronting the blazing penalties of local weather change, Flying Embers has embraced sustainability as a core tenet of its mission. Caspar and his group have labored to cut back the usage of plastic in packaging, encourage recycling, and rework what was once waste into beneficial elements of its merchandise.

Caspar Poyck of Flying Embers
Caspar Poyck of Flying Embers, a tough kombucha brewer, is our visitor on Sustainability in Your Ear.

For instance, Flying Embers used to buy industrially-made CO2 to carbonate its kombucha, although the fermentation course of generated CO2 they discarded as waste. They captured the fermentation CO2 to make use of of their drinks and located it improved the flavour and expertise of the beverage. The machine-made CO2 had added a metallic taste whereas the pure CO2 offered a wealthy undertone together with finer bubbles within the kombucha. Thinking in inexperienced phrases results in stunning improvements. Caspar additionally shares his work to switch plastic six-pack rings and introduce recycled and compostable paper packages. If your small agency thinks working extra sustainably is a pricey luxurious out there solely to massive corporations, Flying Embers’ expertise will problem that pondering.

The firm now helps first responders in local weather catastrophe areas and contributes 1% of its income to charity. Learn extra about Flying Embers, its big selection of onerous kombucha flavored with fruit and spices, together with onerous seltzers and beer with dwelling supply out there in 9 states at www.flyingembers.com.