Whether you’d like to share a kombucha brew you've made with a friend in another state or want to get a certain brand of kombucha to a family member that lives where they don’t sell it, many people want to ship kombucha, but aren't sure how.
Kombucha can be shipped, but it should be shipped in quality glass bottles, packed tightly to avoid breakage, and with cool gel packs to keep the bottles cold to prevent further fermentation and carbonation. Shipping kombucha can be expensive because of the heavy weight of the package and because it will need to be shipped quickly.
In this article I’ll walk you through everything you'd need to do to get your kombucha shipped properly and safely, from packaging the bottles correctly to taking them to the post office. Let’s get going!
What Kind of Bottles Should I Ship Kombucha In?
It’s always recommended that you store kombucha in some type of glass bottle, as plastic and metal bottles have chemicals such as BPAs that can rub off in the acidic kombucha and not only kill its bacteria culture, but also put your health at risk.
Part of the reason why shipping kombucha is so difficult is because glass is really breakable. I’ll talk about how to best get around this in a minute.
Another reason why shipping kombucha is so difficult is that if kombucha isn’t stored cold, it’s living bacteria and yeast culture will continue to ferment it, making the flavor more sour and creating additional carbonation.
Because our kombucha likely won’t be super cold the entire time it’s being shipped, and will get shaken around a lot during transit, we need to make sure it’s in quality bottles that will be able to handle the pressure buildup of extra fermentation.
Glass fermenting bottles or old kombucha bottles you got from the store are great because they are built to handle the pressure of fermentation and will stay sealed airtight throughout the trip.
Do not ever store or ship your kombucha in mason jars or any decorative glass bottles. These types of containers aren't made to handle the pressure of fermentation and could explode if the kombucha is shaken up enough or ferments too much during its trip.
How Do I Pack Kombucha For Shipping?
Packing kombucha for shipping takes a little bit of work, but if you do it right you should be able to get the booch where it needs to go in one piece.
What You’ll Need to Ship Kombucha:
Frozen Cooler Packs
Bubble Wrap
A Cardboard Box
Packing material (foam, packing peanuts, newspaper)
The first thing your going to want to do before you ship your booch is get your kombucha in the fridge if it’s not already and keep it there until your ready to go to the post office. The cold air will slow the activity of the bacteria culture and pause fermentation.
It will be hard to keep the kombucha cold the entire time it’s being shipped, but we want to do the best we can to keep its current flavor and keep it from starting to ferment again.
Once you’re ready to drop the kombucha off at the post office, take the bottles out of the fridge and cover the lids in tape. This will better seal the bottles and prevent any leakage.
Once the bottles are taped, wrap each individual one in bubble wrap and place it upright in the box you have (you could also try putting each bottle it in an empty egg carton and then putting them in the box).
Fill the gaps between the bottles with as many frozen cooler packs as you hav and fill up any remaining space between the bottles with packing material such as foam, cardboard, packing peanuts, or newspaper.
Lightly shake the box back and forth and see if the bottles move, if they do pack them tighter with more packing material until they don’t.
If you’re shipping 6 bottles of kombucha and you’d like to make the packing process easier, you can use this wine and champagne cooler from Amazon that has premade compartments to hold your bottles in the box securely.
After all the bottles are secured, close and tape the box and write fragile in big letters with marker on each side. Also write “this side up” on the top. Not everyone that handles the package will heed the warnings, but it doesn’t hurt to try.
You’re now ready to take the package to the post office! Once you get there the clerk will measure and weigh the package and ask you what type of shipping you want. Ideally you’ll choose the fastest shipping option possible so the kombucha will have to endure less time to warm up and get shaken around.
Unfortunately, the weight of the box is already going to make it expensive to ship, so just choose the quickest shipping option you can without going broke.
After you pay for the shipping and hand over the box you’re done! The kombucha is now out of your hands and, if it was packed well, will hopefully arrive where it needs to in one piece!
Final Thoughts
Shipping kombucha is a difficult and expensive task, but it can be done. If you’re someone who’s up for the challenge I hope this article could help make the process a little easier.
If you’d like to learn more about kombucha, how it can benefit your health and even how to brew it yourself, be sure to check out the rest of my website! Have a great day!