Probiotics have become popular in the health industry over the last decade. And KeVita provides an easy and convenient way to get them, with their sparkling fermented drinks.
The company launched in 2010, and their products can be found in Whole Foods, New Leaf and other health stores. We spoke with co-founder Robert Adams, the Santa Cruzan of the group. (The other two are Bill Moses and Chakra Earthsong Levy). Adams told us all about the health benefits of drinking probiotics, and the other products they sell.
Why consume probiotics?
ROBERT ADAMS: Probiotics are the ultimate functional ingredient in preventative health, which was why we started the company, to empower people to take control of their health. What probiotics do is help your digestive track. What that really means is it helps you metabolize and assimilate all the vitamins and minerals, which ultimately leads to a higher level of immunity and a healthy gut. Something like 70 percent of diseases start in the gut. Probiotics have been present in a lot of food products, not just the fermented drinks: yogurt, sauerkrauts even. We may not have known what they were doing scientifically, but I think we knew that we felt better and our health was generally improved by eating those types of products. So here we are in the past 10-15 years, it’s really entered the American lexicon, that probiotics are probably the most important supplements you can take.
Is getting probiotics from your drink a better source than other products?
I think beverages are always a great delivery system. They’re very convenient. You’re on the go, you grab one, you don’t have to remember your pill. I think it’s also what science has found is that variety is good. Not one probiotic fits all. In fermented foods and specifically in our products, you have probiotics that complement the natural flora we all have in our system.
What are your different product lines?
KeVita is unique in the entire chilled wholesome beverage category. We have three. We have the original sparkling probiotic. It’s actually a water kefir. We also have kombucha, which is an entirely different product. Using black teas and green teas, it’s a fermentation that puts off organic acid, it has beneficial yeast. Then we have a third product. We developed a line of tonic, which includes apple cider vinegar. That specific line also has digestive benefits with the apple cider vinegar, as well as anti-inflammatory properties. It’s basically the same water kefir ferment that’s in the KeVita product, but with the addition of apple cider vinegar. It’s the only product like it on the market. You can actually drink it. You don’t have to hold your nose as you take a shot of it.
For more information, go to kevita.com.
