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A pioneer in kombucha marks two decades of craft, integrity, and category leadership

 

(Toronto, ON) February 18 – This March, during International Women’s Month, Tonica Kombucha, Canada’s original and most enduring kombucha brand, celebrates 20 years as a woman-founded and independently owned Canadian beverage company.
 

Founder Zoey Shamai first discovered the fermented tea beverage while studying yoga at an ashram abroad. In 2006, back home in Toronto, she launched the first kombucha available on the Canadian market. Tonica pioneered a category that has since grown into one of the fastest-rising segments in the functional beverage space.
 

Under her leadership, the brand has grown into a national success story (including a memorable appearance on Dragon’s Den) and is now available in more than 2,500 stores across the country, with a diverse portfolio of flavours and formats under its own brand and Private Label partnerships. Brewed and bottled in its HACCP & Organic Certified custom production facility in Woodbridge, Ontario, Tonica remains independently owned and operated by its founder, a rarity in today’s increasingly consolidated beverage landscape.
 

As the functional beverage category continues to expand and industrialize, Tonica’s milestone offers a timely reminder of kombucha’s roots in traditional fermentation, organic ingredients, and craft-based production. 
 

For two decades, Tonica has remained committed to:

From delivering bottles by bicycle in the early days to working through a  national distribution network, Tonica’s story reflects what it takes to build a brand before a category exists and sustain it long after trends emerge.  

 

Today, Tonica continues to set the standard for authentic, Canadian-made kombucha, while remaining a top national brand by continuously launching innovation and staying ahead of emerging trends, proving that staying true to craft, quality, and process can build a brand that lasts.

 

“Building Tonica has been the greatest adventure of my life. I started with a SCOBY, a bicycle, and a dream that healthy should be delicious and enjoyed by everyone,” says Zoey Shamai, founder and CEO, Tonica Kombucha. “To be here now, running this incredible company and living my vision as Tonica ships daily across Canada is something I’m incredibly proud of.”

 

 

To mark its 20th anniversary, Tonica will introduce a  DIY Kombucha Kit, giving Canadians the opportunity to brew their own kombucha at home using Tonica’s starter and SCOBY, a nod to the brand’s grassroots beginnings and the community that helped build the category.

 

The Tonica DIY Kit is available now online at tonicakombucha.com and in select retailers.

 

Find Tonica in a Fridge Near You
 

Available nationally: Sobeys, Shoppers Drug Mart, Loblaws, Whole Foods

Across Western Canada: Save on Foods, Choices, Nesters, Fresh St. Market, Nature's Fare, Quality Foods, Blush Lane, SPUD, and IGA.

Throughout Central/Ontario/Quebec: Metro, Farmboy, Real Canadian Superstore, Fortino's, No Frills, Rachelle Berry, Maxi, Rabba, Healthy Planet, Nature’s Emporium, and Longos.

 

ABOUT TONICA
Tonica is a Canadian beverage company producing living, certified organic & authentic Kombucha that is fermented in the small-batch tradition and sold in over 2500 stores across Canada.  Kombucha is best known as a functional beverage that supports digestion and has been brewed as a health tonic for over 2000 years.

Started in 2006 by health enthusiast & yogini Zoey, Tonica was the first kombucha available on the Canadian market, pioneering the category and 20 years later remains a top National brand.  Tonica is brewed and packaged in its custom facility in Woodbridge, Ontario, under its own brand as well as Private Label. Tonica is owned and operated by founder Zoey Shamai. 

 

Tonica is known for its flavour appeal, being both an authentic kombucha while delivering a lightly sparkling, fruit forward & accessible flavour profile, making it a household favourite.

 

BEHIND THE BRAND: MEET ZOEY SHAMAI
Founder, Tonica Kombucha

Zoey Shamai is the founder of Tonica Kombucha, Canada’s first commercial kombucha brand, founded in 2006.  Zoey first discovered the fermented tea beverage while studying yoga in New Mexico and brought it back to Toronto to share with family, friends and yoga students.  As demand spread throughout her community and beyond, Zoey’s hobby became her full time focus and Tonica was borne.  With a deep respect for traditional fermentation and organic ingredients, Zoey has spent two decades building a brand rooted in craft, integrity, and longevity - long before kombucha became a mainstream wellness staple.

 

Under her leadership, Tonica has grown from a small-batch fermented tea into a nationally recognized brand, now available in over 2500 stores across Canada.  Zoey’s entrepreneurial journey and commitment to authentic fermentation earned her a winning pitch on Dragon’s Den, where she brought kombucha to a national audience.  Although she declined the deal off air, she was featured again on a Success Story follow-up of favourite pitches a few years later.

 

Today, Zoey continues to lead Tonica with a steady, experience-driven approach, running her production and operations out of a custom built HACCP facility in Ontario and offering a rare long-term perspective on building and sustaining a values-led CPG brand in a competitive and ever-evolving wellness landscape.

 

 

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