Final Project Topic: Marketing The Fermentation Process in Kombucha

After careful consideration, I have finally decided what I would like to base my final project on, kombucha, “... a beverage made by fermenting sugared tea using a symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeasts.”  (Martinez et al. 2018 p. 1) Though I already wrote a pre-investigation on marketing a specific kombucha brand a couple week ago, I have decided to revisit this topic for my final project. All the details are not worked quite yet, but my rough plan is to discuss and show the fermentation process in kombucha, how it takes place and what is does for our bodies when we drink it. Considering this may be a somewhat foreign topic to many, I will not only explain the scientific processes, but also how kombucha and fermentation can be marketed to the public. Just reading the label on a kombucha bottle may not be enough for the consumer to understand how the drink is made and how beneficial it is for their health, such as “...reduction of cholesterol levels and blood pressure, reduction of cancer propagation, the improvement of liver, the immune system, and gastrointestinal functions.” (Martinez et al. 2018 p. 1) Through my final project I hope to find a successful way to market kombucha and all of its wonderful benefits.

  To begin, I will first gather data on how the fermentation process takes place in kombucha so that I am educated enough on the topic before marketing it to others. I will do so by studying the topic in the USF library, hopefully making kombucha one day in this class, and visiting the Kombucha 221 B.C. factory. After gathering my data on how to properly ferment tea into kombucha, I plan to make my own to share with my classmates and teachers on the day of our final project. Alongside my homemade kombucha, I will present my research and planning on a new and useful method to market kombucha to the public. While I have yet to determine what this will be, I know that I have great resources to help me study and plan this out. My goal is to not just market the kombucha as some fancy new health drink, but to really explain and show the fermentation process in the drink and how it is beneficial to the consumer.

  At first, I was baffled by the thought of my final project in this class, and had not the slightest clue what I would choose to present on. However, now that I have found a topic relative not only to the science of cooking, but also to my marketing major, I am excited to pursue my research and conduct my final project.

References

Martínez Leal, J., Valenzuela Suárez, L., Jayabalan, R., Huerta Oros, J., & Escalante-Aburto, A.

   (2018). A review on health benefits of kombucha nutritional compounds and metabolites.

CyTA: Journal of Food, 16(1), 390–399.

   https://doi-org.ezproxy.lib.usf.edu/10.1080/19476337.2017.1410499