They took a risk and opened a new Columbus business during COVID-19. What comes next?

Opening a small business in a market you aren’t sure will be receptive is already hard enough, but for Beejou Craft Kombucha, that experience has been compounded by opening during a global pandemic.

“The timing couldn’t have been worse,” said co-owner Suhyoon Wood. “We got all of our approval done about a week and a half before shelter in place. But because we’ve been surviving throughout that from our induction, we don’t really know how we’re going to forecast the future.”

Despite the challenges, the business opened for curbside pickup in March. The taproom, located at 1204 1st Avenue Suite C, opened in April.

For those unfamiliar with the product, Wood described kombucha as a fermented, effervescent drink, typically made from black tea and known for providing health benefits like probiotics and antioxidants.

Customers can sample one of six flavors on tap, buy a glass or a flight, or take home a 64 ounce growler or 12 ounce bottle.

Wood co-owns the business with her husband, who is affiliated with Fort Benning. They brew the kombucha together and, right now, Suhyoon is the only employee.

Wood said the idea came from a dislike of the conventional kombucha recipe, which uses black tea and sugar. It has a vinegary taste, she said, which could be a turnoff for those in who wanted to try it and reap the health benefits.

“At my own home, we don’t eat sugar, we only had honey when I made my first batch, and we found it kind of gives a much more mellow base to work from so we rolled with it and we found just by sampling and various people that the honey base was way more approachable for new kombucha drinkers,” Wood said.

New to owning her own business, the venture was a gamble.

“We weren’t 100% sure that Columbus had a huge need for kombucha,” she said. “We are finding just from people organically coming in off the street or people we didn’t expect in our demographic market that there was a need ... because it’s something that is known but not too known, it’s a good chance for us to educate the population and also kind of show what we can offer them.”

With flavors like Summer Cider, Agave Sunrise and Lemon Ginger, her hope is the product will be easier for people to get behind.

“We’ve found that because our flavors are more approachable, that even people who are not familiar with kombucha, are sampling our product and leaving with it in hand,” Wood said.

It takes a village

Beejou shares the former CJ’s Wings N Things space on the corner of 1st Avenue and 12th Street with River Oak Boutique, which recently moved its location from the Old Town development in north Columbus. The space is now unrecognizable and Beejou occupies an 11 foot by 22 foot former office off the boutique’s main floor.

Wood said the store wouldn’t have been possible without that collaboration with River Oak. The craft kombucha business has also branched out to partner with other small, locally-owned enterprises in a part-marketing, part-altruistic effort.

“It was really important for me to have our sixth tap to be kind of a seasonal thing, and with that I wanted to experiment and incorporate other local businesses to kind of create this symbiosis of community,” she said.

Beejou has collaborated with Fountain City Coffee on a cold brew kombucha and Ride on Smoothie & Juice Bar on a watermelon kombucha. It also supplies kombucha to Chattabrewchee Southern Brewhouse for one of their beers and to Vertigo Fusion Kitchen for a cocktail.

Wood said that level of collaboration has been pivotal for giving legitimacy to her fledgling brand.

“We are able to put our name and our brand out there through these other people,” she said. “I really do love the community aspect...there is something magical about Columbus...they really love small business and they want to see success in small business.”

An uncertain future

Wood said she started research on opening a business only late last year, and never dreamed of having a storefront so quickly.

Even through a pandemic, the community is stepping up to continue to make an up-and-coming entrepreneur’s dream a reality.

“I do feel that people are going out of their way to shop locally right now, which is super important to keep the economy afloat, and we’re super grateful for that,” she said. “I’m not paying myself yet, but we’re doing better than we’re expected. It’s fantastic to be honest.”

A part of her does fear, however, that coronavirus is pushing people to shop locally now, but that once it clears up, customers will return to the grocery stores for their kombucha.

“Not knowing just how long this issue may affect us as a community, that’s hard,” she said. “With the high chance of an incoming recession, I don’t want to be in a position where people feel like they can’t afford our kombucha. Being able to navigate that is nearly impossible, and at this point we’re really grateful for the community for showing out right now.”