VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. - It's a busy Friday afternoon at Nathan Elstein and his wife Daniella Svoren’s craft beverage factory in Virginia Beach.
They’re getting a batch of tea ready for the holiday season.
“We’re bottling our seasonal limited release: Cosmic Jubilee Blood Orange Kombucha,” Elstein explained.
While the drink does look tasty, the name of this business might leave you tongue tied - Maha Kombucha.
“What kombucha is, is it starts out as a black tea or black tea, then you add bacteria to convert sugar into a variety of organic acids and enzymes and other good things for the digestive system.”
Even though there are many health benefits, Elstein said this business wasn’t created only for your physical well-being.
"We get rid of all of our plastic film from our ice bags and pallet raps down to our bubble mailers, so none of that ends up in a landfill,” he told News 3 reporter Brian Hill in the couple’s factory.
They follow a zero-waste model.
Related: Boba Craze: How boba tea got into the hands & hearts of Hampton Roads
“Our customers can feel like they are living life a little bit lighter because they know they are not creating more trash for our community,” he said.
They use "a zero-waste business model to produce fermented probiotic teas that are low sugar, low calorie alternatives for consumers who want healthy, bubbly drinks."
We're told they only use recycled or recyclable products in their production process and compost all food waste.
“We try not to look at anything here as trash, but as everything is a resource that can be turn into something positive,” Elstein mentioned.
It’s a resource he hopes other businesses will model to help make Virginia Beach become a more sustainable business community.
