Fermenting Stories: Yassine and the Art of Kombucha
- Lorela Lohan
- Aug 25
- 5 min read
Updated: Aug 26
Interview with Yassine Ejdaa, founder of FIGA Kombucha
Introduction
The first thing you notice when stepping into Yassine’s fermentation lab in Antwerp is not the rows of bottles or the stainless-steel vessels, but the quiet intensity of the space. There’s a sense of patient transformation at work, where tea, sugar, and SCOBY slowly become something alive, layered, and sparkling.
For those unfamiliar, kombucha is a naturally fermented drink made from tea, sugar, and a symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast (SCOBY). It’s fizzy, slightly tangy, and often flavoured with fruits or herbs. But Yassine’s vision with FIGA Kombucha is different: instead of masking the base, he creates kombucha from one specific tea — whether that’s Milky Oolong, Lapsang Souchong, or Earl Grey. It’s a first of its kind in Antwerp: kombucha that treats tea not as a vehicle, but as the star.
Yassine’s own story mirrors this process. Once a baker working early mornings, shaping sourdough, he stumbled into kombucha during his time in Amsterdam. There, he fell for a Milky Oolong kombucha that revealed just how much tea could shine when given the stage. That spark followed him back to Antwerp, where he began brewing in five-litre vessels at home, selling to friends, and reinvesting every euro into the craft. Today, FIGA Kombucha has grown into a name whispered in fine-dining kitchens and cafés across the city — proof that a small idea, when nourished, can ferment into something bigger than expected.
Lorela: Yassine, let’s start with your personal journey. How did you go from baking and hospitality into kombucha, and what first inspired you to create FIGA ?
Yassine: I started as a baker, working full-time making sourdough breads, croissants, pain au chocolat, and spending other days in cafés. It was intense, but it taught me how to monitor fermentation closely — how timing, temperature, and small details change flavour. I could have chosen beer, since it’s also fermentation, but I’m not a big alcohol drinker. And here in Belgium, beer is everywhere; I didn’t feel I could add something meaningful to that culture. Kombucha felt fresh and different.
My first real inspiration came while I was studying in Amsterdam, where kombucha was much more visible. I fell in love with Leave Your Sword Kombucha, especially their Milky Oolong bottle. It was the first time I saw kombucha really let the tea speak, instead of being covered by acidity or extra flavours. That idea — honouring the tea — stayed with me.
When I came back to Antwerp, I started small: five-litre batches at home, simple labels, selling to friends.
The feedback was so positive that I kept going. For the first three years, every euro went back into the business. Slowly, it grew into FIGA.
Lorela: Let’s talk about tea and brewing. How did you start exploring tea for kombucha, and what makes your brewing approach unique?
Yassine: I didn’t grow up with speciality tea, but I always drank loose leaf — never teabags. At home, we had Earl Grey with milk every morning, so I decided to include an Earl Grey kombucha in my assortment; it’s a personal connection. Later, through cafés and tea shops, I started discovering more. During the quiet lockdown days, I began brewing kombucha with the teas we had in the shop, and I got hooked.
Today, I source from speciality shops rather than large importers.
I like the enthusiasm of passionate tea sellers. My Hojicha comes from Azumaya in Antwerp, my Milky Oolong from Biochi, and many others from Melange Thee. They’re always suggesting something new, and it keeps me inspired.
In brewing, I take a different approach than many kombucha makers.
Most do a first fermentation with a neutral tea base and then add fruits or spices in a second fermentation. That’s tasty, but it hides the tea. I focus on one fermentation — the tea is the flavour from the start. Each tea needs its own methods: for instance, oolong or hojicha require different times and temperatures. After bottling, there’s a light, natural sparkle, but the tea remains at the centre. Recently, I’ve also started experimenting with powdered teas. They bring different challenges compared to loose leaf, but I’m curious to see how they might open new possibilities for kombucha.
Lorela: What about production challenges — how did you scale from kitchen experiments to a full fermentation lab?
Yassine: At first, I brewed 5–6 litres at a time and sold maybe five bottles. Slowly, I invested in bigger vessels — now my largest is 200 litres.
I produce about 1,000 bottles a month, all flavours combined. It’s still small-scale, but it’s enough to supply restaurants and cafés.
Scaling has been about patience. I reinvested everything, lived very modestly, and only recently started paying myself a small wage. Space was another challenge. I recently moved from an upstairs room to a proper atelier, with a cooling fridge and bigger vessels. That step was necessary to make production sustainable.
Seasonality plays a role too: in summer, Rose, Jasmine, and Earl Grey sell the most; in autumn, Hojicha or Lapsang Souchong find their fans. Lapsang is tricky — some customers are afraid of smoky flavours, others love it and only want that. So it’s about finding the right balance for each audience.
Lorela: Let’s shift to business strategy. Who are your clients, how do you deliver, and how do you keep your business personal in such a competitive market?
Yassine:
My clients are restaurants, cafés, bakeries, and even a record shop in Ghent. I like to think of them as ambassadors for FIGA — they tell my story when they put kombucha on the menu.
Fine dining restaurants are especially exciting because they pair kombucha thoughtfully with food. For example, Bloesem Restaurant, near here, has a 17-course menu and uses our kombucha in pairings. Customers often come to me after tasting it there.
Delivery is part of the story too: I use a cargo bike.
At first, I had no driving license, so it was a necessity. Now it’s a conscious choice — ecological, healthy, and it keeps me close to my customers. On Fridays, I ride around delivering to about 45 places, seeing everyone in person. It’s not scalable forever, but for now it’s part of my identity.
Running a small business in Belgium is tough: taxes are high, logistics are complicated. But people today want more than just a product; they want a story. They’d rather buy less, but buy from someone they know and trust. That gives me motivation to stay small and authentic.
Lorela: Finally, your future vision. What’s next for FIGA — in Antwerp and beyond?
Yassine: For now, I want to grow step by step. I like the idea of having one restaurant or shop in each city — real ambassadors rather than mass distribution. I don’t sell online or ship by post; kombucha is unstable if it isn’t kept cold, and I want people to experience it at its best.
The name FIGA has no big story — I just wanted something with energy.
Looking ahead, I’m thinking about expanding into other Belgian cities where there’s a growing appetite for non-alcoholic, crafted drinks.
And in the long run, I can imagine exploring international markets as well. The demand is there, and I believe kombucha still has so much potential to grow — especially when it’s built around the story of tea.
Conclusion
We ended our time together the best way possible: by tasting through the entire FIGA range — from floral jasmine to smoky lapsang, creamy oolong, and the bold experiment of matcha kombucha.
Each one told its own story of tea, fermentation, and curiosity. As we sipped, our talk turned to the future: new teas to experiment with, powdered oolongs and other specialities to try, and the possibility of a shared tasting session soon.
FIGA Kombucha is still small, still local, but its vision is wide open. Just like the SCOBYs in Yassine’s atelier, it’s alive, evolving, and quietly rewriting how tea can be experienced in a glass.
Photo Credits: Instagram FIGA Kombucha; www.calabi.be; www.objectsandsounds.com; www.maiweskin.com/.
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