Kosmic Kombucha is lovingly brewed in the heart of Austin by Omar and Mina Rios, who made their separate ways to UT back in the ’90s. Omar studied business administration and came from as far away as any Texan could, since he was born and raised in El Paso. Mina traveled even further to earn her degrees in education, as she hails from Maracaibo, Venezuela. After college, Mina pursued a career in math education, and Omar served as a paramedic. Thanks to their shared passion for yoga, it wasn’t long before the yoga community of Austin introduced them to kombucha. For years, they purchased home-brewed booch from a fellow yogi. When she decided not to brew her own tea anymore, Omar and Mina jumped in to fill the void—and in the summer of 2010, Kosmic Kombucha was born.
As Kosmic’s brewmistress, Mina goes through meticulous testing (and tasting!) procedures when developing new flavors with a variety of fresh, organic, and delicious ingredients. Flavors such as Salty Dog, Groovy Green, and Purple Haze have been a hit with Austinites. Through partnerships with some amazing local vendors, Mina and Omar and the dedicated team at Kosmic Kombucha are grateful to offer their booch throughout the Austin area (in over 100 locations–and counting).
Austin was home for Omar and Mina even before they considered opening a business here, and they only continue to put down more roots. Their growing family includes their young sons Saia and Seth. The couple’s connection to the Austin yoga community remains strong, as Omar still teaches regularly at BFree Yoga. They live in North Austin with their dogs Willie and Janis. Regrettably, neither pet chuckles when presented with a piece of scoby from the top of a kombucha tank—not even if you call it a “scoby snack.”