FIGA

Founding. FIGA Kombucha is based in Antwerp and was founded by Yassine Ejdaa. Before founding FIGA, Ejdaa worked as a baker making sourdough breads, croissants, and pain au chocolat, work that taught him to monitor fermentation through timing and temperature.^[1]

The spark. Ejdaa was inspired to create FIGA after discovering Leave Your Sword Kombucha's Milky Oolong bottle while studying in Amsterdam. He credits that bottle with showing him how kombucha could let the tea speak without being masked by acidity or extra flavours. He chose kombucha over beer because he is not a heavy alcohol drinker and felt he could not add something meaningful to Belgium's established beer culture.

Scaling up. Ejdaa began brewing FIGA in five-litre batches at home in Antwerp, selling to friends and reinvesting every euro back into the business for its first three years before scaling up.

Yassine Ejdaa — founder. Yassine Ejdaa is the founder of FIGA Kombucha. His background is in baking, where he made sourdough breads and croissants. One personal detail carried into the lineup: he grew up drinking loose-leaf Earl Grey tea with milk every morning, which led him to include an Earl Grey kombucha in FIGA's range.

FIGA builds its kombuchas around a single specific tea used as the primary flavour, developed through a single fermentation rather than a neutral base later dosed with fruit or spice.^[1]

Single fermentation. FIGA uses a single-fermentation approach in which the tea is the flavour from the start. This diverges from the more common two-stage method of a neutral first fermentation followed by fruit or spice additions in a second fermentation.^[1]

Powdered teas. FIGA is experimenting with powdered teas as an ingredient format in addition to loose leaf. Ejdaa notes that powdered teas present different challenges compared to loose leaf.^[1]

Tea sourcing. FIGA sources its teas from named suppliers across its range.^[1]

• Hojicha — sourced from Azumaya in Antwerp
• Milky Oolong — sourced from Biochi
• Other teas — many sourced from Melange Thee

Production scale. FIGA produces approximately 1,000 bottles per month across all flavours. Its largest fermentation vessel holds 200 litres.^[1]