[I]n a little over a year, Yesfolk Tonics have gone from backroom brewing in Troy, New York, to being featured in more than 100 location throughout the state. Founded by Yiyi Mendoza and Adam Elabd in July 2017, Yesfolk Tonics now operates out of a millennial pink-painted former church, which now functions as a collaborative work space for artists and artisans.
Yesfolk utilizes botanical ingredients such as yaupon, calendula, and osmanthus flowers to infuse their teas, extracts, and kefirs—a probiotic drink made with plant-based sugars—with natural flavor and then ferment in American Oak Barrels.
“We both worked on organic medicinal herb farms, so we are always thinking about quality and sourcing, even with not overtly medicinal herbs,” says Elabd in an interview with Healthyish. “It’s an opportunity to think about how we can pair this drink with ingredients that are going to promote wellbeing and be uplifting and nourishing in multiple ways.”
The company currently offers eight single-origin kombuchas, an Egyptian mint ceremonial tea, two kefir-based beverages, and a tonic water extract.
Marketing efforts are aided by the beverage’s unique tall boy cans featuring vibrant textural artwork from Felicity Grace Jones. Instead of opting for glass bottles, now standard for single-serving kombucha, Mendoza and Elabd chose aluminum cans for their ability to keep the kombucha at prime drinkability without letting any light in, as well as its recycling and lighter weight attributes (saving on fossil fuels during transportation).
