Profile: WonderBrew Kombucha, Malaysia

WonderBrew Kombucha made history by clinching six prestigious titles at the World Kombucha Awards 2025 in Barcelona, Spain. The brand was founded in 2018 by Joseph Poh Wen Xian and Loke Boon Eng.

Origins

In 2018 Joseph began a journey to transform his gut health. He would walk the aisles of the supermarket, searching for the latest health foods and supplements to try. On one of these fateful trips, he discovered kombucha (which he had never tasted before). Going with his gut instinct, he took a bottle home and, in his words, “It was love at first sip.” He did not know it at the time, but his first purchase was Boon’s brand of kombucha.

The drink calmed his indigestion and piqued his business senses. A Google search for local kombucha led him to a brewing class by Boon. Joseph signed up for the class. The two were still strangers at this point. After that, Joseph began home-brewing kombucha for personal use as his entrepreneurial spirit began to fizz. When he heard about the kombucha hype overseas, he knew he was sitting on a pot of fermented gold. After extensive study of the local market, Joseph approached Boon to join him as a partner, and WonderBrew was born.

I had a sense that this could be a business opportunity in Malaysia. Because it was so rare and it was expensive with mostly the imported products from imported brands from overseas. And it was really not accessible as well. So, based on this market gap, we worked together to create a truly local brand called Wonderbrew in 2018.

Joseph, WonderBrew Co-Founder

WonderBrew has grown to become Malaysia’s leading kombucha producer, with more than 2,000 retail touchpoints across supermarkets, convenience stores, cafes, hotels, and restaurants nationwide. They now employ more than a dozen people. They are on record as aiming to double production in 2026 and to expand their footprint across Southeast Asia, with a focus on the Singapore and Indonesian markets. Since its founding in 2018, it has sold more than 1.5 million bottles.

Small batch production

To ensure consistent quality and preserve the freshness of their product, they brew in small batches.

Award Winning

Joseph and Boon made history on the global stage by clinching six prestigious titles at the World Kombucha Awards 2025, held in Barcelona. In its first-ever international competition, WonderBrew emerged as one of the biggest winners at this year’s event, clinching one gold, four silvers and one bronze, across both taste and design categories, (see listings below). The feat marks the first time a Malaysian brand has won at the World Kombucha Awards and the first time an Asian brand has secured six titles in a single award year.

Flavors

Wonderbrew offers a dizzying range of both kombucha and jun flavors. Many use local sources of ingredients and are heavily oriented to fruity flavors:

When we first launched our original flavors, we found that based on feedback, something fruity and something on a slightly sweeter side helps new users get used to kombucha. So from there on, we focused very much mostly on fruit-based infusion because for especially new consumers, they don’t really like the vinegary taste.

Boon, WonderBrew Co-Founder

Kombucha

• Original: Kombucha in its purest form. The freshness of tea with a malty after-taste.
• Passionfruit Mint {GOLD: Fruit with Herbs}: A best-selling concoction of fresh passion fruit with a cool after-taste of mint. This is thei
• Purple Serai: When blue pea and a tinge of lemongrass
• Acai & Black Goji: Acai and goji berries are used in traditional Asian cooking.
• Beetroot Basil: A ruby red hue with hints of basil.
• Nihon Green Tea {SILVER: Original Green Tea} + {SILVER: Single Bottle Design}: Pure kombucha  full of floral hints.
• Tambun Pomelo: Refreshing sweet pomelo grown in Ipoh, the gateway to the Cameron Highlands.
• Roselle Citrus: An antioxidant-packed kombucha with a hint of lime.
• Osmanthus Mandarin: An auspicious pairing of “kam” and osmanthus to inspire better gut health.
• Apple Cinnamon: A delicately brewed kombucha with cinnamon to add warmth.
• Barley Rose: A brew full of floral hints of rose with the tinge of milkiness of Chinese pearl barley.
• Tangy Kedondong: The freshness of kampung inspired by kedondong asam boi.
• Sakura Lychee Rose: A  “flower power” pastel blend with notes of lychee.
• Mango Melur {SILVER: Fruit with Flowers}: Mango with a floral touch of jasmine.
• Juniper Rosemary: Woody and aromatic.
• Pineapple Lavender: The tangy sweetness of pineapple meets the calming notes of lavender.
• Blackberry Guava: Sweet and slightly tart with the fruity undertone of guava.
• Nutmeg: A cola-inspired blend.
• Nihon Yuzu Mint: The bright, citrusy essence of yuzu with the cool, refreshing taste of mint.
• Snow Chrysanthemum: Harvested from the snowy hills of Kunlun mountains.
• Kurma Honey: Characterized by its deep sweetness, reminiscent of the caramel-like richness of dates.
• Honey Plum: The sweetness of honey intertwining with the fruity essence of plums.

Jun

• Original: Brewed with pure honey, a crisp brew with notes of wild flowers.
• Raspberry & Lemon {SILVER: Jun}: Light and subtle with a definite berry taste.
• Bentong Ginger & Honey: Supercharged with the potent Bentong ginger from Pahang.
• Pink Guava {BRONZE: Jun}: Sweet, floral notes of ripe pink guava.

To celebrate their achievement in Barcelona, they released a limited edition Winning Brew Collection featuring all their five award-winning flavors:

• Gold: Passionfruit Mint Kombucha
• Silver: Mango Jasmine Kombucha, Nihon Green Tea Kombucha, Raspberry Lemon Jun Tea
• Bronze: Pink Guava Jun Tea

Marketing

In addition to heavily promoting its World Kombucha Awards, Wonderbrew effectively uses social media to promote its beverages. They have over 13,000 Followers on Instagram—the most of any Malaysian brand—and focus on young, sporty, even wealthy consumers. They also celebrate national holidays and religious festivals, including Diwali, Thaipusam, Ramadan, and Chinese New Year.

Distribution

The majority of their sales are through retail outlets. You will find Wonderbrew in high-end Malls, grocery stores, and fitness centers. They distribute across Malaysia. They also contract pack for other producers.

Sustainability

The brand prides itself on sourcing locally and partnering with Malaysian farmers to recycle production waste, reinforcing its commitment to sustainability and community empowerment.

• Composting waste: They send all their waste raw material to a local farm which is then turned into compost.
• Upcycled SCOBY: They collaborate with local fashion brands who turn their used SCOBY into vegan leather, which are used to make clothing, shoes, or handbags.
• Minimize plastic use: Their carrier pack is made from recycled cardboard and their drinks are sold in glass bottles, reducing single-use plastic.
• Recycling program:For every 12 used kombucha bottles returned, customers get one new bottle of kombucha free.

Podcast

Listen to the podcast to hear Joseph and Boon tell the story of WonderBrew.

The post Profile: WonderBrew Kombucha, Malaysia appeared first on 'Booch News.