Get juiced
After studying the diets and cultures of people across six continents, Atlanta native Kelley Sibley was inspired to create an organic, cold-pressed juice company in her hometown.
The company: Bamboo Juices was founded in 2013 in Atlanta. When the company partnered with Serenbe in 2014, it moved its kitchen to Palmetto. The company makes super-fresh, made-to-order juices and almond milk.
The founder and background: An Atlanta native, Sibley graduated from the University of San Diego, where she studied anthropology. In her travels and years living abroad, she studied health — and wanted to improve her own. After 15 years, Sibley returned to Atlanta and started making juices and almond milk in her mother's kitchen. Then she met with Garnie Nygren, director of operations at Serenbe, and they became business partners.
The goods: Cold-pressed juices ($8.75-$9) and almond milks ($9.50-$10).
What's popular: Coffee almond milk. In juices, the spinach, apple and lemon ginger and the lemon ginger.
What's new (and next): Chai almond milk. Coming this spring/summer: strawberry milk.
Where to buy: www.bamboojuices.com with free, next-day home delivery.
A better brew
Melanie Wade once worked in public relations, helping other businesses build their brands. Now she is promoting her own delicious product and company: Golda Kombucha.
The company: Golda Kombucha started its commercial brewery last summer in Tucker. It makes kombucha, a fermented beverage.
The company name: Wade learned about the art and science of making kombucha from her grandmother (Golda), who made the brew for decades at her home in the Blue Ridge Mountains.
The founder and background: Wade graduated from Georgia State University in 2012 with a degree in journalism and a minor in art. After college, she worked in public relations and marketing for firms. In 2014, she left her career in public relations to pursue Golda Kombucha full time.
The goods: Golda Kombucha comes in four flavors: Peach Ginger, Strawberry Mint, Apple Ginger, Lavender Lemonade, and a new winter flavor: Pear Spice.
Ingredients: Organic green and oolong teas, organic sugar and purified water. The fermentation process depletes most of the caffeine and sugar from the beverage. The brewery uses American Oak barrels as fermenting vessels. The "oak-aging" provides a mellower tasting kombucha.
Best seller: Peach Ginger in a 16-ounce bottle ($4-$6).
Other favorites: The Golda Growler, a reusable and refillable bottle. The 32-ounce, flip-top style growler sells for $14-$15 at Golda Growler fill stations in select stores.
What's next: Koffucha (coffee kombucha). Using local coffee from Banjo Cold Brew, Golda Kombucha ferments coffee instead of tea.
Where to buy: www.GoldaKombucha.com or visit one of the 40-plus stores in the Atlanta area that offer Golda, including: Sevananda Co-Op (sevananda.coop) and the Edgewood Kroger, 1225 Caroline St., Atlanta.
Debutante farmer
Elizabeth Heiskell was a debutante, accustomed to manicured nails, coiffed hair and fashionable clothes. Now the Mississippi woman gets down and dirty on her vegetable farm. And she loves it.
The company: Debutante Farmer started in 2012 at Woodson Ridge Farms in Oxford, Miss. The company caters events, provides fresh products to restaurants and produces an award-winning Bloody Mary Mix.
The creator and background: Heiskell enjoyed cooking while growing up in the Mississippi Delta and later worked as the head culinary instructor at the Viking Cooking School in Greenwood, Miss. Heiskell and her husband, Luke, moved to Oxford five years ago to start their vegetable farm.
The goods: Debutante Farmer Bloody Mary Mix ($12-$15) for a 25.5-ounce bottle. The all-natural mix is made with fresh tomatoes and other veggies from the couple's farm.
Claim to fame: The mix won a 2015 Southern Living food award.
What's new: A line of pickled okra, green beans and tomato jam.
Where to buy: www.debutantefarmer.com. In the Atlanta area, find the mix at the Preserving Place, 1170 Howell Mill Road (preservingplace.com).
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