The fourth and final STEM seminar for Winter quarter, “Fantastic Ferments,” was presented Friday in APH 201.
Jared Englund, co-founder of Lion Heart Kombucha, spoke at the event. The Portland-based microbrewery, founded by Jared and his wife Amanda Englund, produces kombucha, a “sugar-and-yeast ferment, like apple cider vinegar” that contains probiotics, organic acids and antioxidants.
During the seminar, Jared Englund compared the production of kombucha to sourdough. He said they make it by fermenting tea with a yeast culture, which is then flavored with fruit.
Jared Englund stressed the relevance of STEM to his profession. He spoke about calculating the volume of a tank used to brew kombucha, the bolt size needed to secure it to the ground in the event of an earthquake and the correct ratio of ingredients for a given batch of kombucha.
“I should’ve been an engineer,” he said.
Jared Englund estimated they ship about 90,000 bottles of kombucha annually, and said Dick’s Kitchen and Arnada Naturals carry their kombucha on tap.
