by Olivia Spitzer

Do you know what a scoby is? Or, more specifically, did you know that the word “scoby” is actually an acronym? SCOBY stands for Symbiotic Culture Of Bacteria and Yeast – and is a major component in the fermentation and production of kombucha.

Valerie Castoral visited Los Angeles in 2013 for a friend’s wedding, and she came home with a scoby. Her friend was a homemade kombucha enthusiast and wanted to include Valerie in her new hobby. Upon her first taste of the probiotic drink, Valerie remembers, “My immediate reaction was ‘oh, this is kinda like soda, but it’s kinda gross. I bet I can make this better.’”

Valerie Castoral and her partner, Paul, own and operate Golden Age Kombucha, the newest vendor to join the Hillsdale Farmers’ Market. With more than 75 different flavors, Valerie is always up to something new. Golden Age boasts rotating weekly flavors, as well seasonal flavors, and year-round staples. The reason they offer such diversity? Valerie firmly believes in the power of a local barter economy. Valerie trades growlers of kombucha with local farmers for her ingredients, like ripe fruit and flavorful herbs and produce. It means their lineup is always changing, always in step with the Oregon agricultural atmosphere, always unique to this region.

Valerie even barters for her commercial kitchen space. She began looking for space to expand in 2017 but “we wanted the business to be really intentional. We were reviewing kitchens, and we decided we wanted to find a place for trade. In 2019 it finally happened – a friend of a friend said, ‘Use of the kitchen for kombucha. We’ll put you on tap.’” Since then, Golden Age Kombucha has been available on tap at Dick’s Primal Burger on Woodstock in SE Portland.

It makes sense that Golden Age is so invested in trading with other small businesses, as Valerie’s kombucha endeavors began firmly rooted in her community. The first time she brewed kombucha she hosted a party at her home for all her friends to come by. “I was fascinated by the whole process, the taste of it, the bubbliness of it, so I started to experiment with it. I had this party with mason jars and spoons. It all started there. I liked getting the feedback.”

The community is what keeps Valerie in the farmers market scene. Golden Age started with straight barter, then moving on to participating in Stone Boat Farm’s CSA, then launching their own subscription service. Now you can find Valerie and Paul at the Oregon City Farmers’ Market, the Hawthorne Farmers Market, and local flea markets. “We like to be involved in our markets, personally. When you go to the grocery store, you’re not interacting with a person, you are interacting with a product. We consider ourselves kombucha converters. We’re always mixing it up, you’re always able to find something new [with us].”

This person-based community barter approach to business is intrinsic to Golden Age Kombucha. The name comes from Greek mythology, she explains. “[It’s] the idea of a plethora of abundance and peace. No fears around resources. We thought that name would go into abundance existing, being able to live the life we want.”

Golden Age Kombucha’s first booth at the Hillsdale Farmers’ Market will be this coming Sunday, July 31st. The day promises to be warm and sunny – perfect for stopping by and picking up a fews cans of cold, refreshing, abundant kombucha. Do you have your own growler or drinking container? Use your own container and receive $2 off a growler and $0.50 off a drinking container