Who We Are
Kevin brings 26 years of professional brewing experience, currently serving as Director of Brewing Operations across three brewpubs in the Adirondack region, plus a wholesale bakery he built from scratch. He knows fermentation science the way most people know their commute.
Amanda is a teacher and lifelong learner who holds a Ph.D. in Education Policy and National Board Certification in Chemistry. When she is not in the classroom, she is out on the Nordic ski trails pushing herself to the limit, racing competitively, and logging miles in every kind of Adirondack weather. She brings that same relentless work ethic to everything she does.
Together, we have run marathons, completed triathlons, Nordic ski raced, climbed the 46 high peaks, and logged more miles on Adirondack waterways than we can count.
We live along the Adirondack Rail Trail in Lake Clear, NY, with our property backing up to the St. Regis Canoe Area; one of the most remote, motor-free wilderness destinations in the Northeast. Our backyard is our inspiration.
Why Happy Hermit
Tucked into the woods of Lake Clear, New York, where the Adirondacks are more backyard than backdrop, we have built a life rooted in simplicity, intention, and the quiet satisfaction of making things ourselves. We tend to a large garden, keep chickens for eggs, tap our maple trees for syrup, bake our own bread, make our own pasta, and have spent years keeping bees. If it can be made from scratch, we'd rather make it. It's the kind of life that slows you down in the best possible way, and "Happy Hermit" felt like the only way to describe it.
Kombucha found us the way most good things do, gradually, and then all at once. Once experienced the benefits of what it did for us, brewing it wasn't just something we wanted to do, it was something we felt called to do. We strive to be stewards of this ancient craft, honoring a 2,000-year tradition one small-batch brew at a time, right here in the Adirondacks, backed up to the wilderness we love.
This is for the people who move and all people looking to do a little something. Grab a Happy Hermit.
Born in the Adirondacks.
Brewed for the Adventure.
About Us
Happy Hermit Teas & Tonics started the way most good ideas do: out of necessity and a little stubbornness. We are Kevin and Amanda, two career-driven, trail-running, hard-core skiing, peak-bagging, paddle-obsessed people who wanted a drink that could keep up with us.
Something crisp, clean, and alive without the hangover. Kombucha had been a part of our daily routine for years, first kept on tap and then brewed at home, so when the idea of taking it to the next level surfaced, it felt less like a leap and more like a natural next step.
Where It Started
Amanda first started brewing kombucha after a friend handed her a book and said, try this (thanks, Kristen!!). That was the beginning.
Kevin came on board after stepping away from alcohol and discovering that fermented tea scratched every itch: the carbonation, the complexity, the ritual, without any of the noise. What started as a home hobby became two kegs on tap, a SCOBY hotel, and eventually, a plan.
