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Hard kombucha company for sale

Jaybird Kombucha's owner seeks turnkey buyer for growing Sorrento Mesa interest

It’s hard to remember a time in recent history when San Diego’s craft industry has been more fluid. This year has seen a higher-than-normal number of beverage-company sales, openings and closings. And behind the scenes, even more beer and alternative-beverage interests are looking to expand, contract, buy or sell depending on where they find themselves in a current market that’s every bit as much in flux as the players within it. Today, the owner of one of those company’s, Jay Ressler of Sorrento Mesa’s Jaybird Hard Kombucha, is making the availability of his brand, facility and the assets within it known in a first-person communique.

AN OPEN LETTER—AND AN OPPORTUNITY—FROM JAYBIRD HARD KOMBUCHA FOUNDER JAY RESSLER

In the midst of growing our account base and portfolio of unique product offerings, Jaybird Hard Kombucha is in search of new ownership. There have been a host of competing forces in the past few months which have made business difficult. While we have the tailwinds of very solid growth throughout San Diego and Orange County, we are dealing with a market that’s unfavorable in terms of raising private equity. Unfortunately, at this stage of our evolution our business model relies on private equity to fuel the growth we are currently experiencing.

Jaybird fundraised a friends-and-family round of investment during the pandemic and opened the doors to our Sorrento Mesa brewery and tasting room in September of 2021. The 4,500-square-foot facility houses a 10-barrel system with an annual production capacity of roughly 1,000 barrels and includes a 1,200-square-foot tasting room equipped with 20 taps. Prior to our occupancy, this site was home to Longship Brewery, a beermaking concern that operated from 2016 to 2021.

Since we opened, there have been numerous factors driving people to our tasting room. Chief among them are Apple and other tech giants that are investing in Sorrento Valley and building up a larger presence. Along with those companies’ employees, more people have been returning to on-site work, allowing us to be discovered by those factions. In addition to that, the new 3 Roots housing development is bringing thousands of new residents to the area, some of which have already settled in and become members of Jaybird’s monthly subscription program, the Slurp and Chirp Club.

We have been independently distributed since opening and have roughly 60 active accounts with more on the way. Our customers are excited about our products and we are changing the way people think about hard kombucha. We brew with a unique process and blend of teas, offering more inventive and adventurous flavors than our competitors. Our flagship Jalapeño Strawberry Lime was the first flavor we packaged, with fan-favorite Horchata (a flavor created in collaboration with our friends at Harland Brewing) being the next to find its way into cans.

The future is bright for our brand, but we have come to the determination that an operator with funds to drive the growth stage the company now find itself in will be best suited to take Jaybird to the next level. While we are looking to sell the business as-is, we are also open to offers for asset purchases. Interested parties may inquire about this opportunity by emailing me here.

Jaybird Hard Kombucha is located at 10320 Camino Santa Fe, Suite C in Sorrento Mesa

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