Humm Kombucha, a Bend, Oregon-based company, announced on October 31 that they will be expanding to Roanoke, Virginia. The expansion will add a 100,000 square foot brewing facility as well as 50 plus jobs to the city of Roanoke.
Humm Kombucha was founded in 2009 by two friends, Michelle Mitchell and Jamie Danek, with the hope that their company would eventually expand and reach a broad audience. The company has since gone from delivering gallon jugs door-to-door to employing 100 people in Bend. With such growth, Humm is now available in stores such as Target, Safeway, Wal-Mart, and Costco in all 50 U.S. states as well as in Guam and Sweden. Humm offers flavors including chai, pomegranate lemonade, coconut lime, apple cinnamon, original, lemon ginger, strawberry lemonade, mango passion fruit, blueberry mint, and apple berry.
Virginia governor Terry McAuliffe, approved a $150,000 grant from the Commonwealth’s Opportunity Fund to assist Roanoke with the construction of the new facility. The City of Roanoke, the Roanoke Economic Development Authority, the Roanoke Regional Partnership, and the Virginia Economic Development Partnership also helped secure the project for Virginia. The brewing facility will be built on a 12-acre site in the Roanoke Center for Industry and Technology.
Co-founders Mitchell and Danek released a public statement expressing their excitement for the new location. “Roanoke is filled with genuinely good people. The residents love Roanoke, they have so much pride in where they live and many simply wouldn’t live anywhere else. Their outdoor amenities and culture are a huge part of their day to day,” they said. “The environment vibe is very similar to Bend. Aligning with a similar culture is a must to the ethos of our company. Combine that with Roanoke’s central location and the low cost of doing business there, and we’ve found the perfect second home for Humm.”
Construction for the new facility will begin in January 2018 and the building expects to be in operation by June 2019.
