KomBlu Kombucha will open storefront in south St. Louis next year

Sometime next year, Andria Garcia will bring a new concept to South City as she opens KomBlu Kombucha at 2501 S. Jefferson Ave. Garcia has been brewing kombucha in Fenton under the name since 2014 and has distributed across St. Louis, but this will be her first brick-and-mortar. A specific timeline has not been determined, but the storefront is under construction and will likely open once Garcia feels it's safe to do so pending the state of the pandemic.

Garcia’s vision for the space goes beyond merely selling her own kombucha. “I want to incorporate rotating types of art that are local, as well as possibly doing some local things geared along the lines of health,” Garcia explained. “We’re going to have an eight-tap kombucha bar. I want to get the kombucha brands in St. Louis involved.” Her unique concept incorporates an attempt to represent many of the kombucha brewers of St. Louis under one roof. “My kombucha tastes nothing like your kombucha because it’s freaking art,” she said. “We’re supposed to be doing this together.”

In addition to kombucha, KomBlu will likely serve food “along the lines of vegan.” Garcia speculates that food will be available as grab-and-go, but is open to the possibility of serving food in-house as well.

For the past six years, KomBlu has been a staple of grocery stores like Fresh Thyme and Schnucks, and restaurants like Brasserie and Vicia, according to Garcia. “My biggest heartbeat when we started was to support small and local.” On that note, Garcia said, it’s because of a desire to be a bigger part of the community that she’s decided to finally open her own shop. “It’s for everybody in that area and elsewhere,” she explained. “The whole thing with South Jefferson is to get a bunch of influencers for that area together and to support the community and its overlooked art.”