Noli South Kombucha

Meet the Koles

Nearly every room in Steve and his wife Summer’s residence could double as a cover photo for any number of home décor magazines. Exposed steel, weathered wooden shelves and tables, original paintings, rusty accent lamps with Edison bulbs. Everything has character, everything has its place. It often makes me smile just looking around when I visit. Not because it’s so unique and attractive in its own industrial way, but because this has been Steve Kole for as long as I have known him. The twelve year old skate-boarder with long hair, baggy Hilfiger jeans and an endless supply of Wu-Tang t-shirts. The meticulous teen whose room was always immaculate, loved plants, paintings and vinyl records while the rest of us his age just cared about television and video games. Summer is his perfect counterpart and quite possibly the inspiration for many of this family of four’s lifestyle choices and principles. I’ve never known another couple quite so passionate about their surroundings, their beliefs, and their work. There’s something very admirable in that. I think that’s what makes their kombucha company, Noli South, so amazing.

Everything starts with a cup of coffee

The couple’s first endeavor at turning something they love into a profitable business began with coffee. One of their favorite things to do while on vacation visiting new cities was to scout out all the best coffee shops and sample blends from all over the world. As Steve and Summer began perfecting their own coffee at home, they eventually partnered with Finn’s Island Style Grubb, supplying the local eatery with various flavors of their cold brew coffee. Their delicious coffee became a hit with regular patrons and keeping up with demand became a full time job. Finn’s quickly expanded, and they opened Finn’s Barista Bar in the adjoining building which Steve and Summer helped renovate and manage.

Dont panic, it’s organic

One of the first things you notice when you are visiting Finn’s Barista Bar is that natural and organic products are of utmost importance to them. The Kole’s even make many of their own household products such as toothpaste, shampoo, and cleaning supplies from scratch. The couple thoroughly research and select the best possible ingredients to ensure that they are providing healthy, enjoyable products free of any harmful chemicals or additives. Their passion for finding natural alternatives for health benefits lead them to kombucha. This fermented tea beverage dates back thousands of years and is believed to contain a number of health benefits for the body.

Small batch is where it’s at

A trip to Louisiana was the catalyst that would eventually lead to Steve and Summer brewing their own kombucha at home. Summer mentioned, “We went on a trip to Lafayette and we tried a local kombucha, and the small batch kombucha far surpassed what we were getting in stores here.” They began researching and experimenting with multiple flavors and ingredients, determined to create a product that could best every bottle on the major grocery store shelves. Magnolia Kole, often referred to as “Noli” by those closest to her, is the couple’s eldest daughter. She was introduced to kombucha at six months

Steve holding the “scoby” a symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast.

old when she was experiencing sensitivity to breast milk. Summer stated, “After giving her a daily dose for two weeks, I reintroduced the foods into my diet that were causing her issues and she was no longer getting sick.” Convinced that this was a product that could help people as it had helped Magnolia, the Koles set out to build the company that is now Noli South.

The culmination of nearly two years of diligent experimentation and research, trial and error, and a few exploding bottles is the successful company they are today. What started as a small home brew project sold at Finn’s Barista Shop and given to friends has turned into a warehouse with over two hundred vessels and over 30 distributors, including Lucky’s Market. While the couple loves experimenting with flavors, Noli South has five mainstays that are constantly bottled for distribution; Lemongrass Lavender, Carrot Orange, Hibiscus Grape, Ginger Lime, and Blueberry Lemon. One of their favorite places to spread awareness for Noli South products is at the Seaside Farmers Market on 30a.

Noli South crew @ Seaside Farmers Market

Steve and Summer, along with their two girls Noli and Oak, attend the farmers market every Saturday to sell their 12oz bottles, refill 64oz growlers, and encourage patrons to return discarded bottles to be recycled for redistribution.

Steve pictured holding a ball of labels from recycled Noli South bottles

Politics as usual

Not stopping at just spreading awareness to the local community, the couple recently participated in a conference to help change dated regulations limiting kombucha brewers to a .5 alcohol content. This law causes any kombucha tested in stores over .5 percent to be discarded or sold alongside alcoholic beverages with no exception. To put that into perspective, the average light beer is around 5% alcohol, while kombucha contains nowhere near 1%. To test at even .6 percent could be devastating for anyone like Steve and Summer who brew in small batches and promote a healthy lifestyle. To put it alongside alcohol in stores defeats its purpose and alienates the target audience who seek the beverage for its benefits.

As the couples company continues to thrive, the demand for their product grows with it. Steve and Summer are very selective when choosing distributors, not allowing just anyone to carry and market their products. Not only are they selective about the establishments that carry their product, but also the vendors themselves. Steve explained, “We don’t want just anyone or anyplace selling it. We want people passionate like us about kombucha to help market it because it’s not something that just sells itself like a soda.” Summer added, “It’s promoted as a health drink, it’s not something we would like to see sold alongside burgers and fries”.

For more information about Noli South products and where you can find them, you can visit their website at http://www.nolisouth.com. They are also available on Instagram @noli_south and Facebook under Noli South Kombucha.

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