What initially started as a pandemic job search became the latest canned boozy beverage to hit the local market. An effervescent blend of old and new, Hooch Booch hard kombucha offers a bit of a buzz and some old-school nostalgia by way of Prohibition-era inspiration.
Founder Anna Zesbaugh has a background in hospitality management and corporate event planning, industries hit hard by the pandemic. Furloughed from her job, self-proclaimed “doer” Zesbaugh says sitting idly by was just not going to cut it, and so the job search began.
But then the people of Denver went into full blown panic mode when, even if only for a few hours, everyone thought liquor stores were being shut down for good as part of the city's early response to COVID-19. "I thought, ‘Wow, this feels a lot like Prohibition," Zesbaugh says. "It sparked something in my mind, generally. And I’ve always enjoyed kombucha since it helps with gut health, and when hard kombucha came out, I thought that was really cool.”