Meet Suhyoon Wood | Founder & Brew Witch

We had the good fortune of connecting with Suhyoon Wood and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Suhyoon, maybe we can start at the very start – the idea – how did you come up with the idea for your business?
Beejou Craft Kombucha grew out of love. I started making kombucha as a hobby in spring of 2019 and found that I really had an affinity for it. It was really gratifying for me to be able to create in the realm of science and food. After a few months I had started to share my kombucha with my friends; then they shared it with their friends, and so on and so forth. I quickly realized that I needed to make things legitimate, since my customer base had grown so quickly. By the summer, I had begun research on establishing a kombucha business. By the fall, I enrolled into a business class called Co.Starters Columbus, put on by our city’s Chamber of Commerce.

By a stroke of universal luck, I was introduced to an offer too good to pass up for what is now our taproom and brewery. We began breaking ground in January of 2020.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
Kombucha wasn’t necessarily the route I saw for myself. I earned my Bachelor’s in Liberal Arts by the time I was eighteen and worked in my career field as a legislative photographer for a handful of years. It wasn’t until my husband and I moved cross-country that I questioned my career. I worked as a freelance photographer for Columbus State University briefly, but along the way, decided I wanted to go back to school and pursue a Master’s in dietetics.

Throughout my time taking pre-requisites, I realized that I loved science and food sciences — I had said my ideal job would be working as someone’s personal chef, with unlimited money and complete autonomy. While Beejou doesn’t have unlimited money, I certainly get to experiment however I’d like and have true autonomy over what I produce. It truly is the fruition of my dreams!

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Columbus, GA has some amazing hidden gems. I would certainly take them to our river, where you can whitewater raft or kayak — or zipline straight into Alabama. Afterwards, I’d show them the main strip (Broadway) and take them for drinks at any of our awesome restaurants, such as Stock Market Dueling Kitchens or Vertigo Fusion Kitchen (both of which have our kombucha in cocktails)!

The following day would be breakfast at Hudson’s on Main Street, a walk at Flat Rock park, and then lunch at any one of my favorite “off the beaten path” restaurants: Golden Chopsticks (Korean), Ria’s Ethnic Kitchen (Indian), Super Mercado Las Americas (Mexican), or Skipper’s (Low Country Boil).

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
There are so many people who helped me to get where I am now. First, my friends and family, who supported me throughout the duration and who got down and dirty with me when renovating our taproom and kitchen. Secondly, all the classmates, facilitators and organizers I had during my Co.Starters business class; those connections and peers were vital to the success of the brand. Thirdly, all of our customers, who have believed in us since day one and continue to support us as we grow. And finally, to our Columbus community as a whole, which rallies behind small businesses like I’ve never experienced in my life. We are so grateful to everyone throughout this journey.

Website: beejoukombucha.com

Instagram: instagram.com/beejou.kombucha

Facebook: facebook.com/beejou.kombucha

Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/beejou-craft-kombucha-columbus