rok Kombucha

Their support and guidance has been invaluable

Trent and Amanda Carroll were first introduced to Kombucha (kom-booch-ah), a fermented tea drink, when they had children. Like all small people, the kids struggled with common colds and flus on a regular basis. As a former athlete and passion for health and wellbeing, Trent began researching natural ways to boost their immune systems.

Kombucha ticked all the boxes. A mix of tea fermented with a symbiotic colony of bacteria and yeast, kombucha is a probiotic-rich drink that as a number of health benefits. And so, after much research, Trent began home brewing kombucha and testing it on family and friends.

“It was they who suggested we should create a business out of it,” Amanda said on the birth of rok Kombucha.

“When we first started researching kombucha, it wasn’t a well known thing. Trent has always been a healthy, active person and he recognised early there was a real market opportunity to take kombucha from garage sheds to grocery stores.”

It was a case of the right product at the right time. Market research shows that the popularity of natural healthcare products is increasing with a growth rate of seven per cent year on year, and the Carrolls saw an immediate response to their delicious sugar alternative health drink.

“We’re really passionate about our products. Trent is a qualified wine maker, so he understands flavours really well. But above all we’re strong advocates for real, authentically brewed kombucha,” she said.

“We use single origin white and green teas sourced from a certified organic plantation. The only flavouring we use is raw cold pressed juices, as well as fresh filtered rainwater from local South West catchments. These quality ingredients combine to create the best tasting and healthiest fermented drink on the market.”

With a winning formula ready for the masses, Amanda realised she and Trent needed a little extra help with building their small empire.

“Our family and friends really rallied around us – from my Dad lending us his business nous, to my sister-in-law literally driving all around the Perth metropolitan area signing up stockists. And that’s where AMD entered,” Amanda explained.

rok Kombucha first started working with AMD’s Margaret River office in early 2019. However, Amanda admits their role continued to grow as the business quickly gained momentum.

“AMD have really helped bring structure to our business,” she said. “At the end of the day, we’re just a busy Mum and Dad finding a way to balance a new small business with raising two children.

“We’re only a small team, and AMD have been able to step in with their knowledge and experience and help fill some of the gaps, offering great support and guidance as we continue to learn and grow. Essentially, they’ve almost acted in a quasi-caretaker Chief Financial Officer role which has been incredibly helpful.”

rok Kombucha has engaged AMD to help with its Business Advisory, Tax and Bookkeeping services; the latter a newly acquired service after Amanda admits their on-staff Accounts person needed a little extra hand with business growing rapidly.

“It’s been a lot of hard work, but we’re starting to see some real traction with rok Kombucha,” Amanda admits.

“While we will continue to advocate for the industry and create delicious, healthy, authentic kombucha for everyone to enjoy, we also have ambitions to grow the company by introducing new products and expand into more stockists across Australia and South East Asia.

“We also take seriously what we see as our responsibility in educating consumers about quality kombucha products to ensure they’re purchasing the best quality produce, and we will continue to advocate for industry standards on their behalf.”

For more information, visit www.rokkombucha.com.au.