On Lake Superior By Yvonne Whitman
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Alex Rowland has always enjoyed new adventures. Whether it’s climbing mountains or trekking through national parks, his energy and natural enthusiasm propel him to turn his dreams into reality. These days, Rowland is serving up glasses of his handcrafted kombucha and a variety of other beverages, at his Superior Culture Taproom in Marquette. Born and raised in metro Detroit, Rowland graduated from Michigan State University in 2014 with a degree in biosystems engineering. After graduation, he ping-ponged between Marquette and a series of outdoor adventures— hiking the Pacific Crest Trail and Yosemite National Park and exploring the Southwest. He worked a variety of jobs to support his travel, including the local ski hill and a wood-fired pizza truck. However, it was a job at The Marq, a local hotspot, where he cut his teeth on what it takes to succeed in the food and beverage business.
16 APRIL 2019
Photo credit: Emil Gorman
“What I learned there in one year was amazing,” Rowland remarked. “I learned that if you wanted a clean and efficiently run operation, you needed to understand what it takes to make that happen from the bottom to the top. If you don’t know how to clean things or where things go, everything is just in shambles. And I took those skills from there.” This knowledge would become integral when, in the summer of 2016, he started brewing kombucha in his kitchen. Kombucha, a beverage the ancient Chinese call the “Immortal Health Elixir” has been around for hundreds of years and has a rich anecdotal history of health benefits, such as preventing and fighting cancer, arthritis, and other degenerative diseases. Made from sweetened tea that has been fermented by a symbiotic colony of bacteria and yeast, kombucha only recently gained prominence in the United States. The probiotic drink is rich in vitamins B and C, polyphenols and beneficial acids, which helps improve digestion. Aside from the purported medicinal values, most people simply enjoy kombucha for its natural effervescence and slightly tangy flavor.