How Kombucha Became Asia’s Favourite Gut Health Drink

Wonderbrew founder Joseph Poh traces kombucha’s unlikely rise and why it’s the right drink at exactly the right time.

Joseph Poh doesn’t need much convincing that kombucha belongs in the everyday Malaysian fridge. Eight years ago, that was a far tougher sell. Back in 2018, when he founded Wonderbrew, kombucha was still the oddball sitting quietly on supermarket shelves. It was expensive, mostly imported, and often tasted like fizzy vinegar wearing a fruit costume. Most people reached for coffee, juice, or soft drinks without giving the fermented tea a second glance.

Today, it’s difficult to walk into a café without spotting kombucha somewhere on the menu. The transformation says as much about changing consumer habits as it does about the drink itself. Across Asia, conversations around digestive health have moved from specialist clinics to dinner tables, TikTok feeds, and supermarket aisles. Gut health has become part of the modern wellness vocabulary, and kombucha has happily ridden that wave.

For Joseph, however, the story started with curiosity. After managing franchises for a local lifestyle café chain and launching a Hokkaido baked cheese tart business, he had always wanted to build a beverage company. The moment he discovered kombucha in a local grocery store, the idea clicked. “I knew this was something with potential,” he says.

Solving three problems, one bottle at a time

Wonderbrew wasn’t created because kombucha was already popular. It was created because it wasn’t, and Joseph saw three obvious problems. First came price. Most kombucha available in Malaysia at the time cost upwards of RM15 a bottle because nearly everything was imported.

Then there was flavour. “Many of them were heavily sparkling with only a hint of flavour, which wasn’t particularly suited to local taste buds,” he explains.

Finally, there was accessibility. Finding kombucha often felt like a treasure hunt through specialty grocers rather than something you’d casually pick up with your weekly groceries. Making kombucha more affordable, more flavourful, and easier to find became Wonderbrew’s entire mission.

Of course, there was one rather significant obstacle. Most people had absolutely no idea what kombucha was. “It took persistent effort introducing the category and convincing retailers that customers would actually buy it,” says Joseph. “At that time, kombucha wasn’t seen as an alternative to coffee, juice, or soda.”

Persistence eventually paid off. Growing sales, positive customer feedback, and a rising interest in healthier lifestyles gave Joseph confidence that Wonderbrew was becoming something much bigger than a passion project. Winning six titles at the World Kombucha Awards 2025 in Barcelona only reinforced that belief.

Why gut health finally went mainstream

If kombucha feels like it suddenly appeared everywhere, social media certainly deserves some credit. Consumers today have far greater access to nutritional information than they did even five years ago. Trends spread globally in hours, and discussions around sugar reduction, probiotics, and functional foods have become surprisingly mainstream. But Joseph believes Asia’s enthusiasm for gut health goes much deeper than algorithms.

Long before anyone was talking about microbiomes, Asian food cultures had already built fermentation into everyday life. Think kimchi, miso, natto, tempeh, tapai, and pickled vegetables.

These weren’t invented because probiotics became fashionable. They existed because generations of cooks understood—instinctively or culturally—that fermented foods made people feel good.

Modern science is simply catching up. Research showing the gut’s connection to immunity and overall wellbeing validates beliefs that have been embedded in Asian food traditions for centuries. “In Asian cultures, digestive health has always been viewed as central to overall wellness,” Joseph explains. “It’s not just about avoiding stomach discomfort. It’s connected to energy levels, immunity, and even mental wellbeing.” Seen through that lens, kombucha doesn’t really feel like a wellness trend at all. It’s simply fermented tea joining a family reunion.

Beyond the health food shelf

One of the biggest changes in recent years is where consumers now expect to find functional drinks. Probiotics and prebiotics are no longer confined to pharmacy aisles or specialty health stores. They’re appearing everywhere—from cafés and restaurants to bars looking for sophisticated alcohol alternatives. Kombucha has quietly become one of hospitality’s most flexible ingredients.

Some cafés brew their own in-house. Bars use it as a cocktail mixer. Others build refreshing non-alcoholic serves around its bright acidity and natural complexity. “The possibilities are endless because kombucha pairs well with so many different flavours,” says Joseph.

That flexibility also comes at a time when younger consumers are drinking differently. Gen Z, in particular, is embracing the “sober curious” lifestyle, swapping alcohol for beverages that still feel social without requiring tomorrow’s regret. Functional drinks, kombucha included, have benefited enormously from that cultural shift.

Not quite magic in a bottle

Despite kombucha’s growing popularity, Joseph says one misconception refuses to disappear: kombucha is not a miracle cure. “It’s intended for long-term health maintenance, particularly for gut health,” he says. “It isn’t a substitute for medical treatment.” Also, is it not completely sugar-free.

In fact, sugar plays a vital role during fermentation because it’s what feeds the SCOBY—the symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast responsible for transforming sweet tea into kombucha. The trick lies in timing. Brewers carefully manage fermentation so that much of the sugar is consumed naturally while preserving flavour, resulting in a drink that’s typically low in sugar rather than sugar-free.

Creating great kombucha, Joseph says, is ultimately a balancing act: fresh ingredients, the right kind of tea, careful fermentation, and thoughtful flavour pairing. Miss one element and the harmony falls apart. “It should taste balanced,” he says. “Everything needs to work together.”

What’s brewing next

For Joseph, the ambition stretches well beyond kombucha. His long-term vision is to build Wonderbrew into one of Asia’s leading lifestyle beverage companies, with new product categories and international expansion firmly on the horizon.

The company is already teasing its next launch, which Joseph describes as something Malaysian consumers haven’t seen before. He’s keeping the details under wraps for now. Which, perhaps, feels fitting. After all, fermentation has always rewarded one thing above everything else: patience.

Opening image: Courtesy of Wonderbrew