When you go to a health food store
and pick up a beverage, chances
are that you’re not used to reading
“crafted and bottled in Richmond, California”
right there on the front of the label. Well, get
used to it! As that’s what happened to us after
purchasing a bottle of The Living Apothecary’s
Hibiscus Apricot probiotic kefir water tea, on a
whim. After taking it home to enjoy, that’s when
we noticed the label, and we contacted them
immediately!
In September of 2012, The Living Apothecary
began at Kitchener Oakland, a fully operational
commercial kitchen for startup food businesses
to get off their feet. They moved to their current
Richmond facility in 2015, and it seems they’re
here to stay.
“Looking for space we quickly realized that
Richmond was the best place,” said Co-Founder
58 MARKETPLACECONTRACOSTA.COM JANUARY 2018
Shari Stein Curry. “My business partner
Co-Founder Traci Hunt said it’s a really cool
community, it’s up and coming, and a lot of
cool businesses are going to move there. And
she was right!” Curry adds, “I couldn’t be more
grateful. The community that we have around us
has embraced us. It was the best move for our
business, for sure.”
Curry is a Bay Area transplant, like many of
us, and originally hails from just outside of
Philadelphia. She grew up with a lot of city
pride, and now feels that same pride here in the
East Bay. They want to be loud and proud about
where they’re producing this wonderful product,
and putting Richmond in big bold letters on
the front of the label is a great way to do that.
“We’re all about community; shopping local,
supporting local,” she said. “The support that
we’ve had from the local community from the
Bay Area, with the customers that have stuck
By Matt Larson IT’S ALIVE!
This Richmond-based probiotic kefir water tea company is on the rise