From a shed on Doveton Street to global shelves: How Ballarat's Brew & Bloom cracked the wellness market

Brew & Bloom, a Ballarat-based kombucha and botanical tea company, has doubled its revenue to $1.2 million over the past financial year and now supplies 40 cafes across Victoria, including well-known spots like The Bridge Mall's Green Beanery and Webster Street's Harvest Pantry.

The milestone comes as the Australian Wellness Industry Association reports that the local wellness beverage sector grew 18 percent in 2025, with regional producers capturing an increasing share of the market. Brew & Bloom founder Sarah Tran, who started the business from a rented shed on Doveton Street in 2021, said the company has gone from brewing 50 litres a week to more than 2,000 litres per week.

From Doveton Street to distribution deals

Tran, a former hospitality worker, launched Brew & Bloom after struggling to find affordable, locally-made fermented drinks in Ballarat. Her first production space was a 30-square-metre shed behind a mechanic on Doveton Street South. By late 2024, she had moved into a 250-square-metre facility on Creswick Road, near the Ballarat Airport industrial estate.

The company now employs six full-time staff and three casuals, all from the Ballarat region. Its three core flavors-Lemon Myrtle & Ginger, Elderflower & Mint, and Turmeric & Bush Plum-are sold at farmers' markets in Albert Street, as well as through IGA outlets in Ballarat, Wendouree, and Sebastopol.

Brew & Bloom has also secured distribution deals with two Melbourne-based wholesalers, allowing its products to reach cafes in regional centres like Bendigo, Geelong, and Warrnambool. The company's first export order, to a Singapore-based distributor, is scheduled to ship in September 2026.

Numbers that matter

The revenue surge aligns with broader trends. According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, household spending on non-alcoholic beverages in regional Victoria rose 7.2 percent in the March 2026 quarter compared to the same period in 2025. Kombucha now accounts for 12 percent of the total non-alcoholic fermented beverage market, up from 8 percent three years ago.

Brew & Bloom's raw ingredients-including organic tea sourced from Yarra Valley suppliers and native botanicals like lemon myrtle and bush plum-come from within 200 kilometres of Ballarat. The company's production costs rose 6 percent in the past year due to higher freight charges, but Tran said she has absorbed half of that increase rather than pass it on to customers.

A 750-millilitre bottle of Brew & Bloom kombucha retails for $7.50 at the Ballarat Farmers Market, and $8.50 at IGA outlets-prices that have remained unchanged since January 2025. The company plans to introduce a new flavour, Wattleseed & Vanilla, in October 2026.

What's next

Brew & Bloom is currently seeking certification from the Australian Organic Food Chain to label its products as certified organic, a process expected to be completed by March 2027. The company is also in talks with Ballarat City Council to host a monthly fermentation workshop at the Ballarat Community Garden on Humffray Street, with the first session tentatively planned for November 2026.

Local business advisors at the Ballarat Innovation Centre on Lydiard Street have encouraged Tran to explore government grants under the Victorian Government's Regional Business Resilience Program, which offers up to $50,000 for businesses expanding into export markets. Tran said she intends to apply before the program's next deadline on September 30, 2026.

For other Ballarat entrepreneurs looking to grow, Tran advised focusing on local supply chains and community relationships before scaling. The company's next goal: to hit $2 million in annual revenue by the end of 2027.