December the 27th, 2020 - All too often we listen to stories of Croats leaving the country in search of greener grass, with some returning having realised that grass is more or less the same colour all over the world and is the healthiest where you water it. It's no lie that Croatia has some tremendous economic and political issues that it must at some point learn to face, but in many ways, life here is good. Mario Likar is just one person who returned from the other side of the world to here in Zagreb to start a business.

As Poslovni Dnevnik/Ivan Tominac writes, travelling around the world, seeing it in reality and then returning to Croatia is no longer that much of a new or surprising story. The grass isn't always greener elsewhere, it's just a matter of how you maintain your lawn. They say that behind every good job done there is a good team, and that is exactly what the story with Ekipa (Team) is like. Ekipa, beginning with a capital letter, is the name of a Croatian company that revives old habits, but in a different, more modern way.

The team from Poljicka 6 here in Zagreb is engaged in the production of no less than kombucha. Kombucha has long since been known in this region as mushroom tea, and Mario Likar came up with this idea upon his return from Australia.

The realisation that the first association is a mushroom isn't surprising because kombucha is otherwise a mushroom native to Asia. It is used to make the fermented drink of the same name from green and black tea, active and good bacteria, fungi and sugar.

"It wasn't clear to us what they were talking about. It turns out that kombucha has been widespread in this area as early as the time of our great-grandmothers under the name ''mushroom tea'', and it was used as a folk remedy to help deal with problems like indigestion. It has been domesticated since the 19th century, and it almost completely disappeared from use during World War II due to the lack of basic raw materials - tea and sugar,'' said Ekipa's co-founder and marketing expert, Mario Likar.

Their mission, as they say from Ekipa, is to bring this drink closer to the wider population and give it a modern twist that would bring into the current age and as such, closer to current consumer habits. Kombucha is, in short, a refreshing fermented tea, and as you can guess, the process of making this non-alcoholic drink begins with simply making tea.

''Black tea, green tea, or a mixture can be used. Sugar is then added to the tea to serve as food for the kombucha culture, which is made up of a colony of “good” bacteria and yeast. When the culture is added, a fermentation process begins that lasts from five to seven days, depending on the flavour nuance you want to achieve. The longer the fermentation lasts, the more acidic the kombucha becomes,'' Mario Likar explained.

Consumers in distant Australia love kombucha. There, it is used as a popular alternative to sweetened soft drinks and is often consumed in the same casual way drinks such as lemonade might be.

Likar thought about reviving kombucha here on the Croatian market for a long time, and the moment his friends came to Australia and were delighted with the drink, the desire to return to Croatia only grew. Today, they make up Ekipa's team members.

"We've determined that there is a gap in the market of soft drinks with low sugar produced here in Croatia. In our country, kombucha is still drunk only by people who make it in their own kitchens, and our wish is that, as is the case in the rest of the western and eastern world, it becomes available to everyone who wants to drink something healthy and tasty while hanging out with friends, walking around the city, after working out, or with a meal,'' added Likar.

Although they're currently in a state of market uncertainty caused by the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, Ekipa isn't just wasting time twiddling their thumbs. Instead, they are using these moments to perfect techniques that can increase the efficiency of kombucha production itself. At the same time, they managed to move to real, commercial production.

''The second lockdown prevented us from introducing our products to cafes and restaurants. Fortunately, we were able to connect with other activities in the service sector, which are already familiar with kombucha and are ready to include it in their offer. We're especially glad that our value has been recognised by health food stores, which have become our main allies and advocates,'' said Likar.

At the moment, due to this highly specific and unprecedented situation, Ekipa are focused on retail, but they already know what their plans are when this situation begins to calm down. Their goal is to develop HoReCa channels when the situation normalises, and they also believe they'll manage to achieve sales growth and an increase in production capacity.

"We believe in our product, so we see this crisis as an opportunity, especially because people have become more willing to do more for their health. When things return to normal, hopefully soon, we're optimistic that things will get better. As newcomers to the world of entrepreneurship, who launched an unknown product during a global pandemic, that would bring us the greatest satisfaction and happiness,'' concluded Ekipa's Mario Likar.

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