In the beginning, Seeking Ferments was a personal project. Lyz Macias wanted to use her nutritional background to try to alleviate her wife Jeanette’s ongoing stomach discomfort. She turned her attention to kombucha, a fermented drink known for its gut-healthy properties. She and Jeanette flavored their creations with the Mexican and Filipino flavors of their heritages.

Once they started brewing, friends started asking for bottles of their own, and word spread. Even though it hadn’t been the plan, the couple began to take their product to Seattle-area markets, collecting new fans everywhere they went. Seeking Ferments had been born. 

Seattle Restored was born during the pandemic as a collaboration between the Seattle Office of Economic Development, Seattle Good Business Network, and Shunpike. The program was created to breathe new life into empty storefronts across the city. Through a mix of grants, artists and entrepreneurs have been able to test their ideas in pop-up spaces and get a feel for running a brick-and-mortar location. Other grants have offered resources and guidance for securing longer-term leases. Beyond funding, Seattle Restored provides grantees with valuable connections, business resources, and marketing support—many of which are also shared with the broader small business community. Jeanette and Lyz were among those who benefited, using the program’s support as their business began to grow and take shape.

Jeanette and Lyz began to branch out with products beyond kombucha. They make turmeric soda, a cousin of ginger beer, switchels (vinegar-based drinks with electrolyte properties), and tepache (a fermented beverage made with pineapple).

Though there are some core flavors you can count on, they enjoy experimenting with interesting flavor combinations, inspired by their own palates, cultural frameworks, and the bounty from local farmer friends, ensuring that there’s always something new to try.

Once you do, statistically, you’re likely to be back–Seeking Ferments currently enjoys an 86% customer return rate.

Though there’s no predicting the next flavor you’ll taste from Seeking Ferments, there is a method to developing their new products. “One of the farmers from the market will bring us an ingredient, like blueberry basil leaf,” says Macias. “We’ll taste it, figure out what might complement it, and go from there.”

Even so, everyone has their favorites. Seeking Ferments is known for kombucha classics like Razzchee (raspberry and lychee), Northern Lights (strawberry, pineapple and Icelandic moss), and Lavender Collins (blueberry and lavender). Their core ten flavors, including the three above, stay bottled and available for inevitable cravings.

Jeanette and Lyz both value community, giving back, and celebrating culture—values which easily spilled into their business. They created an event called Seeking Cultura, in South Lake Union, billed as a Mexican Filipino block party, complete with low riders and mariachi, and of course, delicious food and drink. But it’s much more than just an event. “Seeking Cultura is our grassroots initiative designed to break down barriers for BIPOC, immigrant, and low-income entrepreneurs.

Though not a formal nonprofit, the program is entirely funded through Seeking Ferments’ business operations and brand partnerships,” says Macias. “Seeking Cultura offers culturally grounded business support, free and low-cost vending opportunities to our events, access to shared tools like our vendor library, like tables, tents, handwash stations and informal mentorship that reflects the lived experiences of its community. Since its founding, the initiative has helped dozens of first-time vendors launch at markets, build confidence, and take steps toward economic independence.”

Though Seeking Ferments had started exclusively with markets and local delivery, slowly branching into some wholesale by popular demand, a brick and mortar location became a priority, both for production and the opportunity to give loyal customers a place to find them consistently (especially during colder months, when many markets are out of season). They started with a temporary space in South Lake Union, but they knew it wasn’t their forever home.

Seattle Restored had opened up a new round of applications for businesses seeking the kind of boost they needed. Their successful application allowed them to secure a new facility for production and work toward a taproom, which just opened in September of 2025, two years after the initial relocation. We’re grateful to Harried & Hungry for welcoming us into their café and giving us the opportunity to open our growler fill station inside their space. Their support has been essential in making our taproom vision a reality here in Georgetown.

At the taproom, they have 8 taps, with a mix of kombucha, turmeric soda, and switchels available. Customers can try limited edition and pilot flavors that may never be bottled, fill up or swap bottles and growlers. Without Seattle Restored’s support, the couple aren’t sure the taproom would have happened, but they know that having a dedicated space available makes the difference between a significant dip in sales during market off-season. This winter they plan to host fermentation workshops and pop-up mini markets in their space.

Along with their community and cultural values, Jeanette and Lyz are passionate about sustainability. “Sustainability is at the heart of everything we do at Seeking Ferments,” says Jeanette. “We source over 70% of our ingredients from local, regenerative farms, supporting small-scale growers. And Through our Bottle Swap Program, we’ve diverted over 36,000 glass bottles from landfills, embracing a closed-loop reuse model.

Our Second Life Project repurposes post-infusion fruit into syrups and compost, maximizing the life cycle of every ingredient. From farm to bottle, and back to soil we’re committed to building a circular, community-driven supply chain.”

Beyond financial support, Seattle Restored has provided resources such as marketing–including hosting events to bring in new customers–education, and connections to other existing resources for small businesses. They’ve had success attending the networking events Seattle Restored puts on, allowing for connection with other like-minded businesspeople. It doesn’t hurt that they are aligned on so many values.

At its heart, Seattle Restored breathes vibrancy, creativity, and community into Seattle. It’s not just about filling empty buildings, it's about creating places that are worth visiting, gathering in, and seeking out.

Seattle Restored’s support is amplifying the work Seeking Ferments is already doing in the community and giving them the opportunity to do more, with a larger reach. It’s a perfect example of what Seattle Restored is looking to invest in–businesspeople who will continue to find ways to pay forward the support they receive, enriching Seattle for everyone to enjoy.