Today we’d like to introduce you to Adina Martinez.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Adina. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
Mighty Bucha was born in the spring of 2016 after lots of home brewing, home bottling, what ifs, and why nots. I had been brewing kombucha at home for several years after a coworker of mine shared a scoby with me. When I got my husband Rafael on board – the engineer – he began researching kombucha and refining the brew: grams of tea, blends of tea, ounces of sugar, and so forth. Two gallons turned into 6 gallons turned into a brewing tank, and we were experimenting with tea blends, fresh fruit, fermentation time, and bottling equipment. By this time we had a one year old, two full time jobs, and a whole lot of people telling us that our kombucha was the jam.
Since there is no “right time” to do anything, especially start a side gig, we decided to sign up for a shared kitchen membership, and we haven’t looked back since (well, maybe a few times). I’ve never considered myself to be the entrepreneur-type, and it continues to be one of the biggest learning experiences (read: challenges) for me as a self-aware individual, but that is definitely why I keep doing it. I certainly have a passion for our product and how insanely awesome it is, but I also have a passion for connecting, sharing, and growing with people, and right now ATL could not be a better place for that.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Starting Mighty Bucha was a major step out of my comfort zone of playing it safe, so no – not a smooth road, but a very enlightening and rewarding one! I think one of our biggest struggles is TIME – between two kids, two full-time jobs, a start-up business, keeping some semblance of a house, and also taking care of ourselves, it feels like there is never enough time to do all the things and sleep for more than 4 hours. But we keep going, and for every setback and learning experience, there is another win right around the corner. Mighty Bucha would absolutely not be possible without the support that we receive daily from family and friends – seeing others’ unwavering commitment to our success reminds every day how grateful I am for this opportunity to step out of the traditional and continue pushing into the unknown.
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Mighty Bucha – what should we know?
Mighty Bucha is a local kombucha company brewing and selling the best bucha in the ATL. Favorite flavors vary by crowd, but I would say the tried and true crowd favorite is our pineapple ginger kombucha on tap. It is just always, always so amazingly good.
As a company, I am most proud of the fact that every week, we keep showing up – for our business, for our family, for our “regular” jobs, and for each other. It is so easy to get bogged down in the stress and the busyness and the sense that there is never enough time – but most days it is just so damn exciting to see and feel what we are building, and it is FUN. We are trying to reach people in a different way – not just through the grocery store or market, and it is so rewarding to see that come to life and to see how much others love it, too.
Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
I’ve always been introspective and very self-aware, but also self-critical (like most women, I’d say) and often eaten up by fear – but I think it is true what Marianne Williamson said: “It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. You’re playing small does not serve the world.” Now that I have children, I am really present to this fact, and I’m committed to changing that reality for myself, my kids, and hopefully others, too. This is a major part of my identity within Mighty Bucha and I think it will be what ultimately makes or breaks me in this business – so, I’m going to have it make me.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.mightybucha.com
- Phone: 770-378-9565
- Email: info@mightybucha.com
- Instagram: @mightybucha
- Facebook: facebook.com/mightybucha
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