The Buddha’s Brew Kombucha Tea factory lies nestled in a modest row of red and white warehouses in Southwest Austin off Highway 71. A small sign — a pensive golden Buddha’s head with the company name in a handwritten-font – is tacked onto the door to distinguish it from the rest of the industrial homogeny.

Inside, there’s a small office with two desks and various designs for the company’s new label covering the walls. The office directly leads to a large, sleek kitchen. Chrome-bottling machines and long metallic tables reflect light onto clean white walls. While the austerity of the kitchen seems to contrast the quaint, mason-jarred tea, Buddha’s Brew’s passion for its product is its source of charm and soul.

Buddha’s Brew is the local answer to public demand for kombucha tea — a fermented beverage believed to include a plethora of health benefits, including; maintaining the immune system; improving the quality of skin and hair; controlling appetite; aiding in liver function and increasing energy levels, just to name a few. And despite its funny name and slightly bitter taste, kombucha has become a mainstay for health nuts and tea addicts alike.

Buddha’s Brew can hardly keep up with the demand. The company started three years ago and has grown from humble beginnings at the Austin Farmers’ Market to being sold in 52 local stores, including Spider House Cafe and Wheatsville Co-op. This month, Buddha’s Brew kombucha will be sold at Whole Foods Market.

Kimberly Lanski, co-owner, creator and brewmaster of Buddha’s Brew, first discovered the tea from UT government professor David Edwards, who drinks it to help cut down his appetite so he’ll snack less between meals.

“I was making large quantities of kombucha,” Edwards explained, “and taking bottles of it to Casa de Luz [a local vegan macrobiotic restaurant] to share with other lunchers there — [Lanski] was one.”

After trying Edwards’ tea, Lanski decided she wanted to turn it into her own commercial venture. Asking him for advice, Edwards guided her based on his years of kombucha-brewing experience.

Creating Buddha’s Brew has been a case of trial and error.

“None of us come from business backgrounds,” said co-owner John-Paxton Gremillion. “It’s been interesting just to learn as you go. It’s like problem solving.”

The actual brewing process of kombucha is fairly straightforward: After placing a large pancake-like “SCOBY” [Symbiotic Colony of Bacteria and Yeast] into a large jar of tea, the organisms eat the sugars in the beverage, creating a drink with bold flavors as well as beneficial probiotics — the good bacteria that helps the digestive system and metabolism, Lanski said.

Once the tea is brewed, it can be flavored with various fruits, depending upon preferences. Lanski hinted that seasonal Texas fruit-flavored kombucha will be brewing soon in the Buddha’s Brew factory.

For Lanski, brewing kombucha is analogous to Trappist monks brewing beer. The brewing process requires intense concentration and dedication. She personally tastes and tests each batch to insure an invariably good product.

Lanski claims that the success of Buddha’s Brew is partly due to the local attitude.

“I’m originally from California,” Lanksi said, “but I really love Austin’s atmosphere. The Austin community has been really great and supportive. I love constantly hearing good feedback from customers at the farmers’ market.”

The only negative feedback comes from people saying the drink is flat compared to other nationally-produced kombucha teas like GT’s Organic Kombucha, a nationally-available brand. Really though, carbonated or uncarbonated is a matter of personal preference.

Everybody’s kombucha is going to have a different personality,” said GT Dave, owner and creator of GT’s Organic Kombucha. “Even though everyone is using more or less the same recipe, there’s a lot that goes into making a batch that transcends the actual recipe part.

The kombucha culture is a living thing that tends to respond to the environment around it.”

Despite the differences in the companies, Buddha’s Brew seems poised to be a local front-runner for the growing number of kombucha fans. And for that, they couldn’t be more grateful.

As Buddha’s Brew Production Manager Ricky Johnston put it, “It’s really about sharing what you love.”

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