Because of her husband’s sickness, she created a wholesome drink model that’s profitable in Vale do Ribeira, in SP

Angélica Araújo is the founder of the Kombucha brand, of protein and healthy drinks; business idea comes from the love of gastronomy and also from the husband’s illness

With a degree in gastronomy, Angélica Araújo has always enjoyed preparing healthy foods, even more so when her husband, Rogério Godoy, was diagnosed with colitis, a chronic intestinal infection, in mid-2015. from Ribeira, had contact for the first time with kombucha, a sweetened, carbonated probiotic drink prepared from the fermentation of green or black teas.

Because it is known as the “health elixir” among Asian peoples, Angelica began to prepare it at home for her family. Over a two-year period, she said, her husband’s three inflammation points had reduced to just one, while her own problems with pimples, blackheads, reflux and other bowel disorders had improved by “90 percent,” according to her assessment.

It was from this moment that the entrepreneur left the cake studio she worked with when she lived in São Paulo and decided to invest in kombuchas, at the end of 2019. She and her husband started with bottles of mineral water and used a tent borrowed in tasting and sales events; the visual identity of the product was in charge of Rogério.

Over time, many friends started asking – friends of friends too – and the increase in demand peaked at the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic. “People started to worry more about their health and our sales increased a lot. Our kombuchas were being recommended more and more and we also started selling them in partnership with commercial outlets in the region and we expanded delivery to other municipalities in the Vale do Ribeira”, celebrates Angélica.

It was at this moment of growth that Sebrae-SP entered the life of AR Kombucha. Angélica participated in consulting, finance and digital marketing courses and took the Empretec course, which works on the ten characteristics of entrepreneurial behavior through a methodology developed by the United Nations (UN). “

Sebrae helped us a lot in the organization, separating personal money from that of the company, correctly pricing our products, defining a pro-labore, providing good service, defining goals and objectives. Empretec, for example, works a lot on these issues. It’s no use just growing, just going. We need to know exactly where we want to go.”

For Sebrae-SP business consultant Cláudio Perin, one of the professionals who closely monitor AR Kombucha in Vale do Ribeira, one of the key points for the business’ prosperity is solving the equation between logistics and scale, a challenge that Angélica and Rogério will have to face from now on. “Now is the time to strengthen logistics in the regional market. The product has very good adhesion and representation in line with the region, largely on account of sustainability. When they manage to establish themselves in the Valley, they will be able to invest in scale,” he explains.

Currently, Angélica and Rogério rent a space that works as a factory and also as an office, at the same time they exchanged the plastic bottles for the glass ones. They offer ten different flavors of kombuchas, as well as seasonal extras. Everything is always prepared with regional products, such as green tea, from Registro, and fruits from local cooperatives and even from the family’s own farm, in Sete Barras.

They send the drinks to several municipalities in Vale do Ribeira and also to some points in São Paulo via courier. The goal for 2023 is to expand the scale, covering the entire Ribeira Valley and São Paulo. “Our customers praise the changes and continue to recommend our products, while we have the support of Sebrae-SP whenever necessary. We are confident to bring health in the form of kombucha to more and more people”, concludes Angélica.

Source: Exam