With the launch of Booch Pop, Health-Ade is the latest in the growing ranks of kombucha brands that have released shelf stable offerings. The line, which is launching on Amazon in 12 ounce cans, features three flavors: Pom-Berry, Ginger Fizz and Lemon+Lime.

Ranging from 40 to 60 calories per can, these products fall roughly into the mid-calorie range. The addition of cane sugar and 5% juice, which provide the sweetness and some of the drinks’ flavor, results in the products having between 6 and 11 grams of sugar. Like Health Ade’s other brews, Booch Pop is USDA Certified Organic. 

It’s important to note that, as this is a shelf stable product, the live probiotics found in Health-Ade’s flagship product line aren’t part of the equation here. Instead, this product is marketed as having prebiotics, acids from fermentation, herbs and minerals, and real fruit. 

When it comes to taste, Booch Pop has the same base kombucha flavor as Health-Ade, but lighter. Added fruit juices, powders and extracts are used to flavor each SKU, and all three are quite approachable.

Lemon + Lime has a bright citrus flavor, Ginger Fizz has a note of lemon and some smooth ginger spice, and Pom-Berry has the most assertive fruit flavor.

The flavor is different from Health-Ade Kombucha -- it’s less kombucha-forward (there’s only a slight note of fermented flavor) -- but this very much feels like a no-compromise offering. 

Still, Booch Pop definitely feels like it’s trying to be something different than its older sibling. This starts with the fact that it doesn’t have the probiotic content that kombucha is known for — something that's been a point of contention for the category as a whole. From our perspective, this is a gateway product that can scale and ultimately drive consumers to (rather than undermine) the wider kombucha market. And we think it will provide existing kombucha consumers, like ourselves, something that provides the same flavor in situations in which a perishable product simply isn’t possible.

Booch Pop comes in a slim 12 ounce can that has been printed with a brightly colored backdrop that’s different for each flavor. Lemon + Lime gets a yellow background with green accents, Ginger Fizz gets an aqua green background with yellow accents, and Pom-Berry has a purple background with magenta accents.

The front panel starts with the Health-Ade anchor logo followed by “Booch” stacked on top of “Pop.” The tagline, “A feel good bubbly beverage,” and the flavor name are below. Finally, a USDA Organic seal is at the bottom with the required package size statement.

It’s a sharply designed and visually approachable can that does a good job of both creating its own identity and making good use of Health-Ade’s existing brand equity.

The only thing that we wonder about is the use of “Pop” in the name. When we first saw this product we immediately wondered if it was trying to be a soda, but that doesn’t seem to be what the brand is going for. We suspect that this may be a common first reaction to seeing this, but, if you’re like us, we think most people will get over it once they try it.

Overall, Booch Pop is a timely and well-executed extension to the Health-Ade lineup. By going shelf stable, this product should, like some of the offerings from others in the kombucha space, help Health-Ade further expand its consumer base.