KONBUCHA: Lost in Translation

Peter Thomas
Apr 21
3 min read

(and How Haruna Co-Create is Building a New Fermented Tea Culture in Japan)

What If I Told You...?

What if I told you that in Japan, kombucha isn’t what you think it is?

Walk into a traditional Japanese store or home, ask for “konbucha,” and you won’t get a sweet, fizzy fermented tea.

You’ll get a warm, savory cup of kelp broth.

Same word.

Completely different worlds.

A Tale of Two Teas

The confusion traces back decades.

昆布茶 (Konbucha) — a comforting traditional drink made by steeping kombu (kelp) in hot water.
Kombucha — globally known as a sweet-sour fermented tea powered by a SCOBY (symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast).

In Japan, konbucha has always meant the sea.

Abroad, kombucha has come to mean culture — of the microbial kind.

A phonetic collision. A cultural mistranslation.

Japan’s Kombucha Market Today: Confused, Fragmented, and Frozen

Despite Japan’s love for functional drinks, kombucha has never taken off.

Why?

Because instead of a Red Ocean full of competitors, kombucha faces something trickier: a fog of confusion.

Consumers associate the word with salty kelp tea.
The fermented flavor profile feels unfamiliar.
Shelf-stable solutions have been slow to reach critical mass.
No single brand has stepped forward to own the story — or rewrite it.

In one of the world’s most innovative beverage markets, kombucha remains an opportunity lost in translation.

Beyond Confusion: The Missed Opportunity

Japan’s RTD tea market is massive — projected to surpass ¥3 trillion .

Health-conscious consumers represent a growing slice of that pie — a potential ¥300 billion segment hungry for authentic, functional beverages.

Yet kombucha, as currently positioned, doesn’t click.

Not because Japan doesn’t love tea.

Not because Japan doesn’t love fermentation.

But because nobody has reframed the idea in a way that feels Japanese.

Translation isn’t enough. Transformation is needed.

The Path Forward: Create a New Category, Not Just a Product

At Haruna Co-Create, we see it clearly:

This is not a product launch.
This is a category creation movement.

We don’t just want to “introduce kombucha.”

We want to create a new, uniquely Japanese fermented tea culture.

That means:

Repositioning fermentation as a natural evolution of Japan’s tea tradition.
Crafting flavors that respect the Japanese palate.
Educating consumers through storytelling that blends history, innovation, and everyday lifestyle.
Moving beyond “import novelty” and embedding fermented tea into daily life.

This is the real Blue Ocean: not fighting for a sliver of shelf space — but opening an entirely new space in people’s lives.

Haruna Co-Create: Turning Confusion Into Cultural Innovation

At Haruna Co-Create, we are already working with partners to make this vision a reality.

Our approach:

Remove the confusion between kelp tea and fermented tea through smart branding and category education.
Localize taste, design, and storytelling to resonate authentically with Japanese consumers.
Launch a new generation of products designed not to explain kombucha — but to make fermented tea irresistible.

We are not just adapting.

We are reinventing.

We are not just translating.

We are transforming.

Final Word: A New Culture Begins

Where others see confusion, we see creation.

Where others see translation, we see transformation.

At Haruna Co-Create, we believe the future of fermented tea in Japan isn’t about explaining the past —

It’s about co-creating the next chapter.

The culture is ready.

The opportunity is here.

The future of fermented tea in Japan has just begun.

If your company shares this vision and wants to help shape the future of fermented tea culture in Japan, we invite you to co-create it with us.

Peter Thomas

Chief Innovation Officer Haruna Group

Haruna Co-Create