Germany is a country obsessed with home remedies and prescribing Teetrinken for every ailment – no matter how big or small. So you’d think kombucha would be an easy sell here, but, as beverage brewer Julian Ronnefeldt explains, the German public has needed some convincing.
“There is a culture of fermentation here, but often when people try it they say, ‘This tastes like gherkin water!” Ronnefeldt, who started his own Berlin-based kombucha brand in 2020, has made it his mission to prove them wrong, perfecting recipes that balance sweet and sour to create the ultimate grown-up soft drink.
Magucha Kombucha’s offerings bring bold, modern flavours to traditional fermentation, as seen in flavours such as their butterfly pea and guayusa tea kombucha. Today, stocked in over 20 locations across Germany and featured in Food Innovators’ Rising Star Report, it’s safe to say Ronnefeldt is proving his skeptics wrong.
But before he was up to his neck in scobies, Ronnefeldt was handling a different kind of culture. As the co-founder of legendary nightlife venue Loophole, he was a key part of the city’s underground party scene until the late nights left him “physically exhausted”. Needing a break, in 2014 he headed to India, where he first tasted kombucha. “It totally repaired me,” Ronnefeldt says.
Now his Neukölln store, KulchaBox, is piled high with bright purple bottles, deep yellow turmeric shots and jars of black garlic. All their products are proudly made in Berlin, with no additives, artificial flavours or pasteurisation. High-quality organic ingredients are a must-have for Ronnefeldt, as he’s a staunch advocate for the healing power – be it gut support or liver repair – of his products.
It’s this ethos that has inspired him to turn KulchaBox into what he calls a “progressive food store”. In mid-March, his shop will start stocking vegan and vegetarian products from a range of local producers. With plans for pickling workshops, dinner clubs and in-store concerts, he hopes KulchaBox will become “a place where people come in and participate, rather than just buy”. In the meantime, his door is still open for you to pick up a bottle of fresh Magucha – just don’t mention gherkins.
- KulchaBox, Donaustr. 39, Neukölln, details.
