Today we’d like to introduce you to Victoria Monroy.
Hi Victoria, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
It took a lot of trial and error to get us where we are today, but I’m so happy this is where it led us. Since I was young I had always wanted to be either a research scientist or a Veterinarian. I pursued a degree in biology at UCSD with the intent of taking on one of these careers, but decided on the path of veterinary medicine after finding it hard to intern for labs that tested on animals, a moral issue of mine.
After graduation, I got a job as a veterinary technician to make sure the path of veterinary medicine was right for me. After three years at that job my conclusion was a resounding no! I could not help animals the way I wanted to as a vet. If anything vets cater to the needs of the owner, not the animal, a sad reality.
During my employment, I found a way I could help animals the way I wanted to. Whilst on a trip to Thailand I stayed at an elephant and dog sanctuary volunteering to care for the hundreds of dogs that called it home. Watching the way the facility was ran and listening to the founder speak was so inspiring, it was like nothing I had seen here in the states. So I found a new goal, to one day start a sanctuary like that one here in my hometown.
For a year, I planned on starting that sanctuary like all the others, by asking for donations. I got a well paying waitressing job and planned to save enough to get me started but then a Lupus diagnosis and a COVID layoff left me unemployed and with little to no prospects of getting hired again with how limited my disease made me. My goal had not changed though. I was determined to start my sanctuary but I knew I couldn’t do it the conventional way anymore. I got creative and had the idea to start my own business. People say do what you love and at the time my favorite hobby had become brewing kombucha. The beverage helped me with my illness and intrigued me with its complicated biological processes.
I knew I had to try turning it into a business as soon as I had come up with the name, Kompoocha. Finally, I found something that would allow me to raise money for my ultimate dream, spend every day doing something that I truly loved to do, and have the control to prioritize my health when I needed to. As soon as the business was legitimate in the eyes of the government my boyfriend of 6 years received the upsetting news that he was declined from joining the military. A dream of his since he was young was now destroyed because of an ancient medical diagnosis that didn’t even affect him anymore.
Now it’s late 2020 and we were two highly motivated people whose lives had been derailed by our medical diagnosis’ with nowhere to put our energy other than this new business venture. Fast forward to a year later and we have gotten the business to a place we couldn’t be more proud of and there is no going back.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
There have been bumps along the way but nothing I would ever complain about. I am fortunate that my health and the health of my boyfriend/business partner has stayed fairly good throughout the first year and so long as we have that there is no bump in the road that could distract us from our mission or slow us down.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
We are the first kombucha brewery in Riverside County specializing in brewing better tasting kombucha that anyone can enjoy! What sets us apart is that our booch is locally brewed, does not contain a strong vinegary bite, and is brewed with a unique mission in mind: to spread health to humans, happiness to animals, and love to the planet. We do this by brewing kombucha that more people can enjoy, donating a portion of our profits to animal rescue while also advocating for an animal-friendly lifestyle, and doing our part to stay as eco-friendly as possible. I am proud of the fact that we truly stand for something other than just selling as much kombucha as we can. Our customers come to us knowing that their purchase has a positive impact not only on their health but the community around them. We are kombucha on a mission and that mission has only just begun!
What matters most to you? Why?
What matters most to us is seeing this business reach its maximum potential so that it may positively impact as many lives as possible. Why? Because we truly believe it can! We are not just a kombucha company, we are so much more than that.
Contact Info:
- Email: Kompoochabrewing@gmail.com
- Website: Kompoochabrewing.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kompoochabrewing/
