10 YEARS with TEA OF LIFE
A Health movement, not just a company.
For ten years, Tea of Life has been about more than brewing Kombucha. It is a movement built on family values, clean ingredients, and a shared mission to create goodness and generate health.
We keep our Kombucha alive and unpasteurised, brewed with integrity in small batches. Every bottle stays true to its origins – pure, intentional, and rooted in care.
Our team is more than colleagues; we are a family growing together with purpose. And our customers are our extended family – people walking the same path towards better living, mindful choices, and authentic nourishment.
Tea of Life is not only something we make. It is something we live.
The Seed Of Life
Tea of Life’s story begins long before the first bottle of Kombucha was brewed. Elizabeth grew up in a home where tea was a daily ritual — there was always a pot on the stove, and whoever finished it had to make the next one. This gentle routine planted the earliest seeds of what would later become her lifelong connection to tea. Elizabeth’s favourite was honeybush and sceletium tea that she could clearly feel the calming effects of.
Diabetes Discovery
Years later, Elizabeth was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes, a moment that reshaped her relationship with health, after a car accident. This led her to explore natural ways to support her wellbeing, becoming more intentional and curious about holistic nourishment and balance.
First Batch Of Kombucha
During her search, Elizabeth encountered real, living Kombucha for the first time. Its immediate and noticeable support, particularly for her blood sugar levels, sparked her interest in brewing it herself. She began her first batches at home, using the same mother SCOBY that remains at the heart of Tea of Life today. What started as small personal brews soon extended to friends and community members who were also seeking natural support. The quiet and humble beginnings of Tea of Life.
First Team Members Join the Circle
As Tea of Life’s reach expanded, many supporters contributed their time and belief in its vision. But it became clear that dedicated support was needed to keep up with the movement’s growth. In 2016, Rebecca and James joined the team, becoming the first to form Tea of Life’s brewing circle. Their arrival marked the shift from a single-person operation to a small, committed family of brewers.
Deliveries Find Their Rhythm
Tea of Life moved into its first dedicated production space — a 70m² factory unit in Muizenberg. This transition established consistent, small-batch brewing in a professional environment while preserving the brand’s hands-on approach.
Expansion of Operations
As the number of stockists increased, a dedicated driver was added to manage deliveries across Cape Town and surrounding areas. This ensured reliable distribution and allowed the brewing team to stay focused on quality and consistency.
A New Visual Identity
Tea of Life underwent a rebrand to reflect its evolving presence and growing maturity. While its visual identity shifted, the brand maintained its core values: clean brewing, natural ingredients, and living, unpasteurised Kombucha.
A Bigger Home
In 2022, Tea of Life outgrew its Muizenberg space and moved into a new 300m² facility designed to support production, bottling, and logistics more efficiently. During this period, Jessie joined the team as a sales representative, strengthening relationships with customers and stockists.
Strengthening Quality & Team
The team expanded again with the addition of Zizi as Food Safety Officer and Aidan in production. Tea of Life earned its 6FSI Food Safety Certification, reaffirming its commitment to rigorous quality standards and clean brewing practices.
Today & Beyond
A decade after its first shared brews, Tea of Life stands as a health movement grounded in family values, community connection, and the power of living tea. The Kombucha remains brewed in small batches, unpasteurised, and connected to the same SCOBY culture that nurtured its earliest days.
THE FUTURE
Tea of Life continues to expand in ever-growing circles, guided by intention, quality, and a commitment to natural wellbeing. More accessibility. More nourishment. More life in every bottle.
MEET THE FOUNDER – ELIZABETH GUNTHER
From me, Elizabeth, my story, my health, my calling.
"My journey with Kombucha began long before Tea of Life existed. When I was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes, my life changed. I found myself searching every day for natural ways to support my wellbeing. Ways to feel balanced, energised, and well.
In that search, I explored every natural path I could find. That is how I first discovered Kombucha - a living tea that immediately resonated with me. The very first time I tasted it, I felt a shift in my body, especially in my blood sugar levels. For the first time in a long time, I felt genuinely supported, as if my body had been waiting for this kind of nourishment.
That experience became a turning point. I began brewing Kombucha at home, starting with a single SCOBY that has remained the heart of my brewing ever since.
Brewing Kombucha became more than a hobby. It became a calling. A way to care for others, a way to offer the same gift I was given.
Every batch still feels personal to me. Every bottle still feels like part of my story.
Tea of Life didn’t begin as a business. It began with me trying to take care of myself, and discovering that in doing so, I could help take care of others too."
