operation . “ When I was living out in Portland , I heard about a raw juice company that got shut down . It made me realize that it might have been fairly difficult to start a raw beverage company in Oregon at the time . When I got to Vermont and got involved with the food scene , I looked around and found that Flack Family Farm was making kimchi and marketing it in the local community as ‘ raw .’ I then approached Doug Flack and asked him questions about the best way to approach the state government about my raw fermented product . He really helped me navigate that early stage .”
After Aqua ViTea was officially launched in 2007 , Weaber was able to grow the company by bringing his friends into the fold and staffing his business with positive-minded people . “ At that point , my wife ’ s naturopathic practice had taken center stage . I initially saw the kombucha operation as an opportunity to have an on-farm cottage industry type brand and product . In the early days , we talked six couples into coming to our farm , and they all brought different skill sets . A few of them were naturopaths who have since settled down throughout the state . One of them was a talented artist named Michael Kin , who did the art for our labels . He also
Michael Kin at work .
8 VERMONT MAGAZINE