Long before it was trendy, Carly Erickson began making and selling her own kombucha.

Just over 10 years ago in her home kitchen, Carly started making kombucha as a hobby and selling it to her friends. Little did she know, that would lead to her owning her very own storefront, Boro Beverage Co.

With a background education in sustainable agriculture, Carly has a passion for food preservation and local food culture. Although she didn’t always know that she wanted to become a kombucha maker, Carly knew that she wanted to use her knowledge to make a difference. The moment where it all clicked for her was when she heard Sandor Katz, a self-proclaimed “fermentation revivalist,” speak on the art of fermentation.

“That was really inspiring and that’s when I realized that this is something I could do and that there is information out there and support,” said Carly.

Carly knew she couldn’t sell kombucha out of her kitchen forever, so she took her inspiration for fermentation to the next step and opened Boro Beverage Co’s storefront in 2018. Being the first kombucha company in North Carolina came with many challenges, from inspectors who had never even heard of kombucha to becoming a business owner on the fly.

“You’re going to hit roadblocks and challenges but you have to remember to be honest and transparent,” Carly said. “Part of what I’ve had to do is this education piece. And it’s educating even the authorities because they don’t have anything to go off of.”

Educating her community about wellness and sustainability practices is one of Carly’s favorite things about her job and last summer she added a new element to her shop that allows her to extend her passion for education beyond just kombucha.

“Over the summer [2022] I turned my space into a Non-Alcoholic bottle shop and I just leaned in. It has created a new avenue of work that I have been pursuing - working with local businesses and curating Non-Alcoholic spaces for them.”

Non-Alcoholic (NA) beverages have become increasingly popular over the past few years as younger generations are becoming more “sober curious.” In a study conducted by Drizly and Prodege, Gen Z, Millennials, Gen X and Boomers all reported drinking more NA beverages in 2022 than the year prior, with Gen Z at the highest with 38%. Reasons for drinking more NA beverages included pursuing a healthier lifestyle and cutting back on alcohol consumption, among others.

Beyond the new business opportunities that the bottle shop would bring, Carly also has a personal connection to this venture.

“I’ve experienced alcoholism in my own personal life in a lot of ways and have experienced loss and I have a lot of people in my life that could benefit from having other options,” she said. “This is something that affects me personally but now I have a way that I could possibly help others.”

With health and wellness at the forefront of Carly’s values, she has combined her love for making kombucha with her business-savvy mind to sell a wide variety of beverages that cater to many different consumers. And most importantly, she enjoys what she’s doing.

“I believe in purposeful work and I also believe that people should follow the passions and dreams they have,” she said. “For me, it was about doing something that was going to be good long-term for the planet.”