Los Angeles, Calif. – Kombucha Brewers International (KBI), the leading trade organization committed to promoting and protecting commercial kombucha brewers around the world, will host its seventh annual KombuchaKon, the largest conference and trade show for kombucha brewers, manufacturers and industry professionals worldwide, virtually via Zoom on Sept. 17-18, 2020. As one of the fastest-growing beverage categories, there will be many topics of discussion to unpack over the course of two days.
One topic that will receive special focus this year is hard kombucha, speculated by some media outlets as the big beverage trend for summer 2020 and beyond. This trend is broadening the kombucha industry’s appeal from traditional kombucha brewers to beer brewers, cider producers and others in the alcoholic beverage industry curious about entering the hard kombucha sector. And a Virtual KombuchaKon — with reduced registration fees and no travel cost — is the perfect entry point for a producer considering whether a move to hard kombucha is for them. For this reason, Virtual KKon is addressing hard kombucha with a variety of sessions, including:
- Kombucha Market Analysis and Future Trends session, presented by SPINS, will feature a breakdown on the hard kombucha market;
- Get Hard with Boochcraft will address hard brewing;
- A round table with experienced hard kombucha brewers will answer questions from those getting started or wanting to elevate their hard kombucha game;
- Bart Watson, from the Brewers Association, will share data on kombucha crossover in the craft beer industry and why its popularity is growing.
The education and networking event will virtually bring kombucha brewers (and prospective brewers) from all around the world together to participate in small group breakout sessions to share ideas and knowledge while discussing the common challenges they face and the solutions that can guide the industry forward.
To encourage attendance and networking, KBI will offer its popular Passport Program in which attendees have the opportunity to win exciting prizes.
Additionally, attendees will hear from industry leaders, fellow brewers and manufacturers covering relevant topics including several sessions on the hard kombucha space, a discussion on the newly launched Code of Practice, how to build an e-commerce platform, advice for entrepreneurs and more.
More than 400 representatives from kombucha brands internationally are scheduled to attend the virtual conference, including Health-Ade Kombucha, Brew Dr. Kombucha, GT’s Kombucha, Humm Kombucha, among many others.
“This year’s KombuchaKon was originally scheduled to take place this past April, but given the ongoing pandemic, we, like so many others, had to unfortunately put the conference on hold,” said Hannah Crum, founder and president of KBI. “Though there have been challenges we’ve faced these last few months, I’ve seen such resilience and strength from our industry – with larger brands stepping up to help smaller brewers, and the industry banding together to donate kombucha to our healthcare heroes. Because of this, we decided to center the theme of Virtual KombuchaKon 2020 around ‘Cultivating Resilience.’ While brewers around the world will not be meeting in-person this year, we’re thrilled at the opportunity to provide the same level of education and networking but on a virtual platform. It’s such an exciting time for the industry, and we’re looking forward to connecting so many passionate brewers of kombucha.”
For more information on Virtual KombuchaKon 2020 or to sign up to attend, please visit https://kombuchakon.com. If you are a supplier interested in sponsorship, find more information here.
About Kombucha Brewers International
Kombucha Brewers International (KBI) is a non-profit trade association that represents the commercial Kombucha category globally. KBI strives to promote, protect and enhance the overall well-being of the industry by creating an open line of communication between brewers, consumers and regulators while advancing the industry through advocacy, education, research, and modern legislation. To learn more, visit www.kombuchabrewers.org.