Owl Spoon Water Kefir
The fizzy ferment that packs plenty of probiotics is gaining popularity
Ferments are synonymous with being funky, marked by their cheek-puckering qualities or acidic-heavy presence. And while there are plenty of people that are fans of the funk, others not so much. Enter water kefir.
"I call it a fizzy probiotic soda,” says Kellie Hughes Jordan, manager and master brewer of Owl Spoon Water Kefir. “It’s like kombucha’s cousin.”
Founded in 2019 by Jay McGee, Owl Spoon Water kefir crafts probiotic-packed, gut healthy beverages brewed with organic Ingredients that range in flavors from ginger ale to tangerine mango. Bubbly with a smidge of sweetness, the fermented water is chock-fill of living cultures, enzymes, and electrolyte.
Owner Jay McGee
Photo Credit: Owl Spoon Kefir
“It’s essentially a probiotic that doesn’t taste like a funky fermented thing, water kefir is straightforward,” explains McGee.
Looking to introduce a healthy beverage to his kids, McGee first began experimenting with water kefir at home before launching the business. With a background in anthropology, he says he has always been fascinated with food history, and that ferments are a timeless, cross-cultural culinary tradition.
“The human experience has always been fermented stuff, it’s the foundation of cultures everywhere,” says McGee. “I kind of got really into the thought of, here’s this thing that helps me feel more human.”
While kombucha is ubiquitous at grocery stores and markets, water kefir not so much. Still fairly new to most people, McGee and Jordan explain that the education aspect remains a major aspect of the bourgeoning business.
“At the farmers market people turn their head like wait, what’s water kefir,” McGee says. “Kombucha has kind of taken up the entire category of fermented probiotic beverages, it’s taken up all our brain space.”
Since the beginning of the year, Owl Spoon Water Kefir has amped up production and established a wholesale relationship with Ellwood Thompson’s. Typically sold in their flagship 32-ounce refillable growlers, the team has also introduced 12-ounce bottles of water kefir in hopes of making it more accessible to consumers.
Last weekend, Jordan was at the Carytown storefront sampling the unprocessed beverage and chatting with shoppers. She explains that water kefir is something that people can weave into their daily routine, and that it’s perfect as a recovery drink following a run or cycling adventure.
Photo Credit: Owl Spoon Kefir
“It’s a tonic beverage, so more for small amounts over a period of time like a maintenance item and as a recovery drink,” she says.
Gaining momentum, both McGee and Jordan hope to see Owl Spoon Water Kefir in more stores throughout the state, and beyond. Following the most recent Fancy Foods show, non-alcoholic cocktail culture and ferments for functions were two of the top trends predicted for the year — Owl Spoon Water Kefir checks both boxes.
“I came on to the company two years ago and my dream for a long time has been to show people how easy it can be to begin the path to making betters choice for your gut health,” Jordan says. “Moving forward, we want to just keep spreading the message of taking good care of yourself, and how it can be easy and fun to do that.”
