BELLEVUE, Neb. (KMTV) — Fermented, flavored, bottled and then labeled; a kombucha making process that Tony Horner has fine tuned.
"Basically they just sit for a certain amount of time at a certain temperature, and then they are released, and you know, then they get some fresh food," Horner said.
Kombucha takes a while to create and you must be patient. It's a lesson Tony learned at a young age.
"I got in trouble with the law a lot for about five years from when I was like about 18 to 23," Horner said.
When he was 23 years old, he got a felony DUI. He spent time in county jail and lost his license for 15 years.
"Losing my license at such a young age really made almost every career path unattainable," Horner said.
But he knew he wanted to do more with his life.
"It really gave me a sense of urgency, it also taught me patience though, you know really to look at opportunities and take them," Horner said.
After years of bartending across the country, he came back to Omaha.
"Once I started suffering from some liver issues, I was drinking apple cider vinegar every day and it was just so gross," Horner said.
After a quick search on how to make it on his own, he came across a fermentation class at City Sprouts. He turned from vinegar to kombucha and, in August of 2020, Fermented Felon was born.
Eight flavors — made with ingredients that can be found in Nebraska.
"Do you have a favorite flavor, is it root beer?" 3 News Now Reporter Molly Hudson asked.
"Oh yeah either root beer or the tart cherry cola," Horner said.
Tony and his team fill about 1,200 bottles each week. It's a tedious process but somewhat symbolic of his past.
"I think that my slow growth, and me just looking at the opportunities and taking them when they come, has really done my business well," Horner said.
He's filling more than bottles. He's filling others with a past — with hope.
Find Fermented Felon at several Hy-Vee locations and retail stores in Nebraska and Iowa. It is $2.99 a bottle. He hopes to expand by 2025 and is experimenting with donuts to sell at Wolner's in Midtown Crossing.
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