We joined a super fun group of vendors at the Crystal Palace in Picton, ON on Saturday, August 4th for the 2nd Annual Ontario Fermentation Festival. Founded by Pyramid Ferments, the festival was created to showcase the fermented food and beverage community in the area. "We aim to celebrate, inspire and educate our provincial community about the many types of food and beverage ferments available in Ontario".

A foodie, locavore, and fermented food enthusiast's heaven, the festival featured everything from beer, wine, mead, hot sauce, sauerkraut, kimchi, miso, pickles, olives, mustards, sourdough, cheese, juices, chocolate, kefir, jun and kombucha plus a ferment competition, workshops demos and yoga. 

We had an awesome time meeting everyone and appreciated the familiar faces who came for a visit! Thanks you to all who stopped by our booth and tried our products.

Festival go-ers were passionate about the healthy and fermented food movement and all samples were delicious. Trading product for product was an exceptional highlight for us as we went home with a big case full of goodies (some of which didn't quite make it home as we snacked along the drive). Tasty, nutritious, locally made food is where it's at!

We want to congratulate the Pyramid Ferments team on a well-organized, entertaining and enjoyable event. We had a great time at the festival and enjoyed getting to know you more at Prince Eddy's Brewing Co. afterwards. Thanks for inviting us along! See you next time!

The International free kombucha festival, BOOCHFEST took place at Landsdowne Park in Ottawa inside the Horticulture Building this past weekend.

We were floored by the absolute success of this festival! Founders and organizers, Drew and Samira took their love of kombucha and poured it into this event. They had a dream to bring an international kombucha festival to the area and boy did they make it happen!

The anticipation was high and we weren't sure what to expect but as the day progressed, it was clear that the event had surpassed expectations. After a brief opening ceremony with a word from the Boochfest Founders and ribbon cutting including Rise Kombucha, the crowds piled in and were given a sample cup to try all sorts of flavours of kombucha.

We were in good company along with brewers Culture Kombucha, Y Kombucha, Quetzal Kombucha, Brew Dr. Kombucha, GT'S Kombucha, Elikxir Kombucha, Cathy's Kombucha, Live Kombucha, Carlington Booch, Rise Kombucha, Bucha Brew, Vox Kombucha, Artizen Kombucha, Lao Kombucha, Pyramid Ferments, and from all the way overseas, Kombucha Iceland!!

"They just kept coming in", fellow brewers said as we re-capped the event. There was barely a moment for us to try other brews as most of us were a two-person crew, working non-stop from 10-4 to serve up samples, offering kombucha on tap and selling our bottles. 

"It was crazy!" our heads are still spinning from the action. With music going, an excited crowd with bellies full of kombucha were mostly in the know about the fermented tea. This isn't the norm for us as we are used to explaining the process and answering numerous questions about the brew. 
"Everyone already knew what kombucha was! We never get that".

It was an event to meet the makers and sip on new flavours. Attendees made the rounds and then decided on their faves or picked up an assortment to bring home. There was also a competition for homebrewers which was judged by a panel of commercial kombucha connoisseurs.

We met so many people, made wonderful new connections, learned about upcoming brewers, saw familiar faces and had visits from friends. 

As a brewer, it was phenomenal. Well organized, nice facility, highlighted the industry, and had cold storage and ice on site. We can't thank Drew and Samira enough!

BOOCHFEST 2018 was a riot!! Can't wait for next year!

The 2nd annual Lemonade Yoga Festival was a success!!

So awesome to have this festival right in the Valley! Lemonade featured a variety of FREE outdoor yoga classes (doesn't get better than that!) for all ages from 11-6, SUP demonstrations and water fun, plus great local vendors. 

We always love meeting up with local business owners, passionate yogis and kombucha newbies and fans. Lemonade did not disappoint.

A big thanks to Maegan, the White Pine Yoga team and instructors, AWE Yoga, and all volunteers and organizers!

 And thanks to all who stopped by our booth. You guys are the reason we love festivals!

The Ottawa Valley Wellness Show happened this past weekend!

We set up shop at the Renfrew Armouries with a pretty amazing group of Wellness specialists and vendors. There was lots to check out at the show including handmade products, jewelry, holistic professional and treatments, healthy eats, along with demos and workshops. 

Timed perfectly with the Renfrew Farmers Market, attendees wandered through the market and inside the hall for a full selection of locally made goods. 

We managed to snap a few shots during a slower time, when we weren't passing out booch samples, meeting new faces, and connecting with other vendors. It's impressive to see how many small businesses and entrepreneurs we have in this area. We were also stoked to meet up with some awesome longtime supporters (thank you!!).

A huge shout out to Ro and her wonderful team who put together this show! 

Cheers to your health! Santé!

Saturday, October 14th was a busy day in Renfrew with the 2nd Annual Frewtober Craft Beer & Food Truck Festival. Downtown Renfrew was the place to be to sample locally brewed beer (and kombucha!) and eat delicious food while listening to live music.

This year featured even more options with a total of 12 breweries, 3 food trucks, a coffee truck, and a mobile bar and lounge. The weather cooperated with the rain holding off and a balmy temperature for mid-October and attendance was remarkably increased in comparison to last year's rainy day and near freezing temperature. Fireworks ended the night with an exciting display from the rooftop of the Town Hall. 

Festival goers enjoyed an assortment of beer brewed from Whitewater Brewing Co, Beau's All Natural Brewing Co, Perth Brewery, Cartwright Springs Brewery, Broadhead Brewing Co, Square Timber Brewing Co, Dominion City Brewing Co, Tuque de Broue Brewing, Calabogie Brewing Co, Kichesippi Beer Co, and Old Boys Beer. New to the line up this year, Cellar 82 covered all other alcoholic beverages with their spiffy Mobile Bar & Lounge truck. For the second year in a row, Laurentian Brew and Caffeine Fix had you covered for non-alcoholic drinks. Foodies united and dined out with food from Big D's Dog House & Poutine Emporium, Tracie's Hollywood Diner, and Mr. Churritos all of which just about sold out of everything!

Another year reacquainting with fellow brewer friends, catching up with amazing fans and supporters, and meeting new faces, the 2nd Annual Renfrew Craft Beer & Food Truck Festival was a successful event and we are already looking forward to next year. A big thanks to all who made it possible including Jennifer Charkavi, her family, and all the volunteers!

Thanks for being awesome, Renfrew! We had a great time serving' up shooters of kombucha for the Ottawa Valley folks who braved the elements and came out in the cold rain for the first annual Craft Beer and Food Truck Festival. The weather was certainly not on our side but that didn't stop people from bundling up and digging out their umbrellas to join in the beer (and kombucha!) tasting fun. We were especially thankful for the die-hard boochies who came all the way from Deep River to get their LBKC fix and to the many people who gave us suggestions as to where we should sell our kombucha in the area.  

The Valley is home to some pretty great breweries and we enjoyed tasting some new and some tried and true brews from Whitewater Brewing Co, Broadhead Brewing Co, Cartwright Springs Brewery, Stalwart Brewing Co, and Square Timber Brewing Co. We were also thankful for the delicious hot eats from the food trucks who kept our bellies warm and full. 

Thanks to all the volunteers who made this happen. We are looking forward to next October for year two of this event! 

We are excited to announce that we will be joining your favourite local food trucks and craft breweries for this awesome event. Renfrew is hosting it's first annual Craft Beer and Food Trucks Festival for Frewtober on October 22 from 1pm-7pm and you don't want to miss it! Frewtober is an entire month of events worth checking out. Visit their Facebook event page and join in the fun.