Five years. A milestone that, in the startup world, is celebrated as a significant victory. They say that 90% of startups don't survive, and in the food sector, where large companies dominate, we believe these numbers can be even more challenging. Therefore, getting this far is a source of pride and gratitude.

When it all started in 2019, MAI was just a "somewhat crazy" idea, a dream of creating a project with purpose. At the time, Portugal was largely unfamiliar with kombucha.

We started in our home kitchen, fermenting a few liters and distributing it among friends and family. The first recipe already had the essence of what defines us: imperfection, authenticity, and a focus on benefits. Since then, we have produced more than 500,000 bottles with natural gas and fresh organic fruit. Anyone who ferments knows the challenge of controlling each bottle, and we have managed to do this on a large scale, without compromising our values.

We are Fermentation in Motion
MAI is more than just a kombucha brand. We are a fermentation project with the mission of spreading positive transformations: towards a better world, a healthier lifestyle, and a more honest industry.

Without anticipating the impact that fermentation would have on our project, after five years immersed in the world of natural fermentation, we realized that it was fermentation that shaped our values .

Fermentation is an act of resilience and alchemy. It's about learning to work with nature's timing and connecting with food, respecting the natural processes and imperfections of life.

We feel these positive transformations and that's why we want to spread them!

Over these years, we have grown organically and healthily, from 800 liters in 2020 to 45,000 liters in 2024. We raised R$ 80,000 through 2 crowdfunding campaigns and 4 crowdlending campaigns, with the support of more than 500 backers .

We recovered over 5,000 75cl bottles, strengthening our commitment to circularity and sustainability. We helped over 4,000 people start brewing and become self-sufficient in Kombucha (the most sustainable way to consume it).

A New Cycle – MAI ReStart
We've turned 5 years old, but we don't just want to celebrate. We want to look to the future. We're ready for a new cycle, with the necessary changes to ensure the project remains sustainable and true to its purpose.

We will maintain authenticity, but we will diversify. We want to expand our impact within the fermentation universe, exploring new products and methods. We will continue with an organic and careful growth model, inspired by the small farmers we work with. Resilience will always be our guiding principle.

What Comes Next?
New things are brewing, and we will soon be launching new products that reflect our essence and vision. Our journey is just beginning, and like fermentation, we hope it never has a final destination.

To everyone who has been with us, who has invested in us, who has believed in the project, and who helps us grow: thank you very much.

We continue dreaming, more and more awake than ever.
Good fermentations,
The MAI Kombucha team