Consultation

How can consultation help?

Have you ever looked at lab results either generated by yourself or from an outside lab and wondered any of the following:
  • "What do I do with this data?"
  • "What do these results mean?"
  • "How can I use this to improve my product?"
  • "Where do I go from here?"
  • ​"Is this good?"
​If so, you are not alone. The single biggest complaint and reservation we hear from potential clients regarding analytical testing is that it does not provide any actionable insight. This is a misunderstanding of what testing can offer you. Our consultation packages are designed to educate you, improve your product, and prove doubts wrong.

BABS Consultation Packages

Package 1: Alcohol reduction in kombucha
This is our most popular consulting package. We will work with you over six (6) months to dial-in your kombucha's alcohol level. This comprehensive package includes unlimited prescribed testing and consultation. Discussions and experiments are scheduled to ensure that time is used efficiently and problems are solved quickly. This package includes a guarantee that all emails will be returned within 24 hours or less at all times. 50% of the consulting fee must be paid upfront and the other 50% will be paid after completion of the project. We promise alcohol reduction and a more consistent product. Contact us if you are interested.
Who should use this package?
  • Kombucha producers that are having trouble reaching and maintaining legal alcohol levels in their product
  • Kombucha producers who are scaling up 
  • Kombucha producers who are asking themselves, "How do I reduce alcohol content in my kombucha?"
Package 2: Nutritional Facts Labeling
This package is for clients who would like us to build their nutrition facts label according to FDA regulations. We promise FDA-compliant nutritional labels. We can produce the label using results from testing or from our comprehensive nutritional databases. 
Who should use this package?
  • Producers who need to produce a nutritional facts label that follows FDA guidelines
Package 3: Lab Set-up
This package is for clients who want to set-up an in-house laboratory and/or quality control program. Tell us what tests you want to be able to perform and what your budget is, and we'll do the rest. We can work with you over the phone or in-person to ensure that you get all of the equipment and supplies that will be required to perform the testing you'd like. We promise we'll provide all training, theory, and methods so that you can hit the ground running in your new lab. Additionally, we can offer access to a proprietary quality control software to ensure your data are utilized efficiently and stored securely.
Who should use this package?
  • Producers who are ready to make the leap and have an in-house laboratory and quality control program
  • Clients looking to purchase new lab equipment but are unsure of where to start
  • Clients who would like to learn how to maximize their existing equipment
  • Clients who are looking to become TTB-certified
  • Clients who are looking to implement quality control software
Package 4: Hop Utilization
We will work with you over the course of four (4) brew cycles to build robust, individualized hop utilization curves that account for the following variables: boiling time, boiling temperature, IBUs, pH, Alcolyzer parameters, and alpha- and iso-alpha-acids as measured by HPLC (optional). Two cycles will be used to build a hop utilization curve for your existing method and two cycles will be used to build a utilization curve for the experimental method. We promise this will allow you to compare and contrast how the changing variables will impact hop utilization. 
Who should use this package?
  • Brewers who are interested in optimizing hop usage to maintain flavor and save money
  • Brewers who are troubleshooting boil variables
  • Brewers who are exploring different hop varieties
Package 5: Vicinal Diketone (VDK) Monitoring
We will work with you over the course of three (3) brew cycles to build robust, individualized VDK fermentation curves with corresponding predictive models. Ten samples will be collected over the course of each brew cycle and analyzed via GC-MS to determine VDK concentrations. We promise analysis of these thirty samples will allow us to build a composite VDK fermentation curve and predictive function that will let you decrease production times while maintaining consistency. VDK curves can augment gravity curves, and in some cases, supplant them as the primary monitoring tool for brewing production. 
Who should use this package?
  • Brewers who want to decrease production times
  • Brewers who are cutting-edge
  • Brewers who have had VDK problems in the past
  • Kombucha brewers who are looking to mitigate off-flavors
Package 6: Product Fingerprinting
Are you thinking about patenting your recipe or production process? This package is for you. We have experience working with producers who require stringent chemical and microbiological data to be used as part of the patent process. Additionally, we can provide insight and guidance no matter what stage of the process you are at. Most importantly, we promise guaranteed confidentiality and the utmost professionalism. ​Contact us for details as each product fingerprinting case is unique.
Who should use this package?
  • Producers who need chemical and microbiological data to patent their product or brewing process
  • Producers who want a comprehensive scientific fingerprint of their product

Don't see what you need?

We can develop custom methods or consultation packages to monitor your parameter(s)-of-interest using any of our available instrumentation. Contact us to get started.