Meet Kristian Hval | Owner & Brewmaster

We had the good fortune of connecting with Kristian Hval and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Kristian, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
I started making kombucha because I liked the benefits of the beverage but I didn’t really like the way many of them tasted! Having a lifelong background in cooking, I knew how to play with flavors and set out to make the best tasting kombucha I could. As it turns out, I’m pretty good at it, and before long everyone I shared it with wanted what I was brewing. One friend in particular told me I should “go for it” and his opinion really made in impression on me – it made me question for the first time the idea that I could start my own company. As time went on and I became more serious about planning the business, my motives changed from “I can do this for my livelihood” to “I can do this for my livelihood and actually do something positive for the world and my immediate community.” That sense of purpose is what drives me today to continue creating the best products I possibly can. This journey of becoming a business owner has been a process of unravelling and realizing my own true potential, and my mission moving forward is to inspire others to realize their own innate potential.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
We brew high quality, fully fermented kombucha teas infused with medicinal herbs. The herbs in our brews synergize to create unique flavors with an added medicinal benefit and are always flavor-forward. We believe if something makes you feel good, it should taste good too! Kombucha brewing isn’t actually that complex of a process but it can be difficult to make it enjoyable while maintaining the authentic nature of the brew itself. Our goal is to create beverages that are truly thirst quenching and at the same time full of nutrients from the herbs and the natural fermentation. We do our best to live authentically and brew authentically, and I think that comes through when you taste our kombucha.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
The ultimate Colorado experience for me involves immersing oneself in the landscape. From swimming in the Boulder creek or the alpine lakes to camping and snowboarding in the high mountains, sunny Colorado has so much to offer. When friends come to visit I make sure they get a good view of the landscape from above, and we absolutely have to go to my favorite Indian food restaurant of all time, “Curry N Kebob”. They are the only place who can make it spicy enough for me! The ultimate week with a visiting friend would involve seeing some live music in Boulder, Denver, or Red Rocks and enjoying each other’s company over a craft beverage at Murphy’s Taphouse in Louisville. I love introducing friends to some of my favorite people here which includes some of the business owners I’ve become acquainted with and other friends whom have made my life richer. We would spend time in my garden, and I would introduce them to the local plants who have become such prominent beings in my life. Even just walking through downtown Boulder provides one with a unique experience, especially if its during the farmer’s market season. We love the community here and love any opportunity we get to share the Colorado experience with others.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I couldn’t be where I am today without the help and support of many people. I have always been told I have great potential, but I never really believed it until I started to see that potential blossom in my own consciousness. For me, family is everything. I’ve taken many dark roads on the path of life, which were necessary for me to become who I am today, but without my family I might not even be here. I owe much gratitude to my loving parents, my 4 younger siblings, and my beautiful partner and mother-to-be Julia. In addition to my immediate family, I finally feel like I’ve found my family-tribe here in Colorado. The growth within me that has occurred these past 7 years would not have been possible without the loving support of my friends, mentors, teachers, and beings who have come into my life at just the right time. Thank you all for pushing me when I need to be pushed, holding me when I need to be held, and having an unconditional patience with me as I continue down life’s path. I truly realize that we need each other. In the words of the Ram Dass, “We’re all just walking each other home.”

Website: www.kundalikombucha.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kundalikombucha/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kundalikombuchaa