After five years of patiently waiting, Boochy Call Kombucha fills open vendor booth at Shepherdstown Farmers Market

Though his brand’s name brings humor to any conversation at his booth in the Shepherdstown market, his product is close to his heart. In a 2023 interview, Kelchlin said that kombucha came into his life in 2018 when sobriety “became a life or death decision.” 

“I started drinking Kombucha instead of alcohol and this was the key ingredient that allowed me to break free from my addiction,” he followed. 

A longtime home brewer, Kelchlin switched his operations to kombucha and

began taking it to market. Now, he’s brewing around 800 gallons a week and looks forward to providing patrons with it at the weekly market in his backyard. He currently offers eight flavors, three of which are seasonal.

On tap he has his mainstays—Innocence (pineapple, ginger, cardamom), Wild Thing (hops, honey, green tea), Limelight (lime, mint, basil), Zest For Life (lemon, ginger, hibiscus), The Crush (cranberry, cherry, ginger)—as well as his seasonal flavors—Marrakech (summer; mint, ginger, lemon, honey), The Full Monty (fall; beet, carrot, turmeric) and Hiboochy Mamma (winter; hibiscus, warm spice). 

When asked about what drew him to the market and to join the long waiting list, Kelchlin pointed to those aforementioned patrons. 

“The people are very friendly, and I would say that the Farmers Market here is a Sunday event,” he said. “When I used to live here I’d come every Sunday religiously. So I think the tight community is the main benefit.” 

Kombucha also isn’t foreign to the market. Years ago the farmers market hosted Cultured Leaf Kombucha from Keedysville, Md., also in Washington County. Kelchlin, a regular at the market, saw their success and aimed to emulate it. 

“Cultured Leaf was another kombucha company that was here about five years ago. I saw them selling and saw them doing well, which prompted me to get into this market and wait for a spot,” he said. 

When asked if he planned on creating a specific brew for the Shepherdstown market as a way to celebrate finally getting a booth, Kelchlin was quick to point out that it’s not as easy at it seems, lamenting the process Maryland imposes. 

“It’s harder than you think in terms of permitting,” he said. “Every recipe has to be lab approved for alcohol testing, pH, the label … everything has to be approved by the Maryland Health Department. Because it’s so acidic and there’s a potential for there to be alcohol, they don’t know what to do with it. They don’t have a code book for it, so they throw the book at it.” 

Microbreweries weren’t safe from catching a right hook, either. 

“Maryland only has five kombucharies, there’s probably 500 breweries. You could make a new beer every day … you could can a rat and sell it and, as long as they get the tax credit from alcohol, they’re fine with it.” 

And, though opening day at the market was a little chillier than Mother Nature has been providing on and off the last few weeks, Kelchlin is simply excited to be back in Shepherdstown. 

“I’m looking forward to getting back with the community. I know it’s going to be a great market,” he said.